Know what's wrong with prophecies?
by Reedemption
Summary: Based on the events of Birthmark. Basically my version of Season 4. Rated PG13 for possible violence. This is where to go if you can't stand waiting to see what happens! Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.
1. Choices

"What have you done?" -Rasputin  
"I chose." -Hellboy (Ron Perlman, aka, the voice of Slade)

That's the problem with prophecies. They're never crystal clear.

She had come to a conclusion. Slade had said she had no choice, but that wasn't true, was it? It was nearly 11:30 p.m. as Raven walked into the church. Attired in jeans and a sweater, a backpack slung over her shoulder, she barely stood out from the otherhalf dozen or so individuals scattered about silently amongst the pews.

She barely noticed the slight stinging around the jewel on her forehead. "It could be worse." She thought to herself. "At least I'm not hissing and spitting at the cross…" In the past, she had sometimes been amazed at how much her human side could overpower the demon, but since her encounter with Slade, she had begun to realize how pointless her hopes had been. She had been baptized in Azarath fashion, but that didn't seem to change much. She was a monster, an incredibly dangerous one to boot, and she could think of only one way to save her friends and the city they lived in.

Slowly, Raven proceeded down the aisle in search of the Priest. She found him through the doorway to the left of the pulpit, where he had been reading. It occurred to her how irritated she became when someone interrupted her in the middle of a good book, and she hesitated. The man of the cloth looked up and spoke first. "Can I help you, child?"

Raven was slightly taken aback, but kept reminding herself of why she was here. It took all her will power just to make eye contact. "I don't mean to disturb you, Father, but I was hoping to have an object blessed…" Slowly, she produced a bundle of cloth from a pack she had been carrying and handed it to the Priest. He took it carefully and unwrapped it, revealing a beautifully decorated antique knife. Breaking character, he let out a low whistle. "Young lady, this isn't really something you should be carrying around."

Raven played her lines perfectly, having rehearsed them nearly a dozen times in her head. "Please, Father. My Grandfather brought it back from Germany when WWII ended. Before he died, he gave it to me for my birthday. Ha said he wanted to make up for not being there to help protect me. I just wanted a way to…remember him." Her voice took on a theatrical softness as she finished.

The Priest smiled softly. "Perhaps, Miss, in this case I can make an exception." "Thank you, Father." Raven smiled, finally being forced to divert her eyes. She was actually lying to a Priest, and in a House of God, no less. She took some consolation from the fact that she could be capable of worse. Much, much worse.

A clock somewhere in the distance began to strike midnight as Raven descended the steps, her bag clutched tightly in her hands. She paused at the door, slowly reached out, and cautiously dipped her hand into the bowl of Holy Water. To her surprise, the sensation she received was more of a tingle than a burning. It was as if some force looking over her was begging she reconsider. She came very close to doing so, but then reminded herself that the force she feared was inside, not above. Praying for forgiveness from this deity, or any that would listen, she performed the sign of the cross and set out into the night. In less than twenty-four hours, she would never be a danger to anyone ever again.


	2. Dreams

Triforce90; Thankyou for my first ever Review. Had it been a flame, I would have been forced to build a robot army and take my vengeance upon humanity…Triforce90, You've saved mankind! (Thunderous applause from the U.N.)

Know what's the problem with prophecies? They're never crystal clear.

She had been having the same dream every night for the past week. Jump City was in ruins. The sky was dark. Out in the Bay, the remnants of Titan Tower were surrounded by a sea of molten rock. And perhaps worst of all, she was surrounded by her friends. They had all been turned to stone.

But tonight, there was something new in her dream. She was standing on the roof of a tower, and in the distance, she heard a roar. The very sound of it made her blood run cold. In the distance, a horrifying silhouette appeared against the horizon. It looked like the Devil himself. The creature turned in her direction, looked her straight in the eyes, and began to laugh.

Jinx woke with a start, covered in a cold sweat. What did that even mean! Normally her dreams involved colleges, or guys, but never the Apocalypse. She turned onto her side and focused her attention to the digital clock: 2:35. She knew it would be difficult to get back to sleep, and part of her didn't really want to, knowing what might be waiting for her. If there was ever a time for a midnight snack, this was it. She put on her slippers and robe and crept silently into the kitchen.

The large apartment wasn't exactly quite. The snoring from the room on the left was enough to explain why her roommate was named Mammoth. To her right, the repetitive music of some forgotten video game played continuously. Gizmo had probably fallen asleep at his computer again. For the first few weeks after moving in, the three villains had sorely missed the cozy accommodations of the Hive, but those feeling were soon dismissed when they were exposed to real food. It's amazing how a little hypnotic brainwashing can dull your taste buds.

Jinx opened the freezer and removed the gallon of rainbow sherbet. Dishing up a bowl, she sat at the table and ate slowly, savoring each spoonful. Fifteen minutes later, she placed the empty bowl in the sink to let it soak. She was about to shut off the kitchen light when she saw the padded envelope sitting on top of the microwave. Picking it up and recognized the _Borders _company logo, she knew it was the books she had ordered after the third consecutive night dreaming of Hell on Earth. The receipt said it had been delivered at almost 9:30 that morning. "Thanks a lot, guys." She muttered to herself. Reseating herself at the kitchen table, she slid a carefully manicured finger under the tape and opened the package.

Why We Dream: a Psychological Study of the Workings of the Subconscious Mind. The second book was Atlantis Found by Clive Cussler. If she was going to place an order, she might as well do it all at once. She set the Action/Adventure novel off to the side and began her research. An hour later, she felt she had found what she was looking for, and she was slightly less than relieved.

The one suggestion that repeated itself even more than the actual dream was the last thing she wanted to see. "Throughout the course of history, it has been believed that dreams have the power to warn us of some hardship we will soon experience. It has even been suggested that select individuals can see the future while sleeping."

Jinx stopped there and tried to collect here thoughts. As a Sorceress, she certainly fell under the title of "select individual." Girl, don't get ahead of yourself, she thought. First, let's narrow the possibilities.

True, she had often imagined defeating the Teen Titans, but even when she actually did, the Tower was always left intact. Some psychologists would probably tell her that as a super villain, her dreams were warning her that a thirst for power could ultimately destroy everything. This too was quickly dismissed. She didn't really want power, just to use her natural abilities to get ahead in life. This apartment certainly wasn't paid for with hard-earned money.

Jinx continued to contemplate the dream. It was just so…real. The more the dream occurred, the more she felt she was having an actual vision. But what part did she have to play in the End of the World?

She was just about to put the books away when a passage caught her eye. "It has been reported that two similar individuals could actually share the SAME dream." Jinx had never considered this, and as preposterous as it sounded, she couldn't dismiss it entirely. Was it possible she was seeing someone else's vision? And if so, whodid sheknow that could be called "similar"?

It suddenly occurred to her that this line of thought was giving her a headache that could make Mammoth cry. Whether it was caused by confusion, exhaustion, or stress, she didn't know or care. Nightmares or no, it was time for bed. After two aspirin and a glass of water, Jinx returned to her room. She made it through the first three chapters of the Dirk Pitt book before falling asleep. Thankfully, she did not dream for the rest of the night.


	3. Preperations

Notice: Please bear with me. (Is it "BEAR" or "BARE"?) Anyway, I'm kind of writing this as I go, and I will do my best to post each new chapter as soon as possible. Oh, and I do NOT own Teen Titans.

Also, to anyone who found my comment at the beginning of chapter two to be immature or stupid, I will soon be enrolled in the Navy's Nuclear Engineering program, and the knowledge and ability to create a fully functional robotic man will soon be mine. Whether I use my powers for good or evil is entirely up to YOU.

Quote of the day: I sat through all of those English classes and I still don't know how to kill a mockingbird.- Reed R (X626RR)

That's the problem with prophecies. They're never crystal clear.

Written by XRR (X626RR)

Raven was alone on the roof of the tower. She appeared to be meditating, but her mind was far too burdened for her to relax. The rest of the Titans had noticed that she was keeping to herself recently. They all assumed she had wanted to be alone with her thoughts, and in that they were correct. Had they known what she was thinking, however, they would have been much more concerned.

Since her birthday and the return of Slade the week before, Raven's mind had been searching for alternatives to her fate. Now that she felt she had discovered a way out, all she had to do was make it through this last day without the others suspecting something sinister. That is why she was on the verge of tears right now.

There was so much she had wanted to do; talk fashion with Starfire, play videogames with Cyborg, spar in the gym with Robin, and maybe even try one of the horrible tofu dishes Beastboy was always pushing her way. It's not that she greatly wanted to perform these activities; it was just that there were so many things she had always taken for granted. She could have tried something new every once in a while and still maintained her image, but now it was too late. If she experienced a change of persona overnight, the team would have been suspicious, and the chances of her plan being discovered were too great.

"But I at least owe them SOMETHING!" Raven had been telling herself since she left the church the night before. She wanted so much to explain to them her actions and try to relieve some of the pain they were all about to experience, but there was no way she could tell them what she was planning. They would never let her go through with it. Sadly, she knew in her heart there was only one thing she could do for them, and even that was pushing it. For one full day, she had been friendly. No sarcastic comments. No hiding in her room. No burying herself in a book. And for the first time since anyone could remember, Raven had awakened before Starfire. This alone was almost too much of a risk, but when the Tamaranian Princess floated into the kitchen and discovered she was not alone, she was too overjoyed to question her dark friend's actions. They had sat together on the sofa and watched the sunrise.

Raven took some pride in how she had composed herself today, but she soon discovered that it wasn't over yet. Beastboy had joined her on the roof.

Hoping the luck he and his friends had experienced that day would hold out for just a little bit longer, the changeling slowly approached her. "Am I bothering you Raven?" "What do you want Beastboy?" Raven replied in her monotone voice before stopping herself. She was about to apologize, but Beastboy, having not been attacked by a complete schizophrenic, ventured on. "I was just wondering if…you were alright…" He sat down next to her and noticed she was not levitating. Instead, she was dangling her feet over the side of the roof. This only added to the list of discrepancies he had been keeping in his mind.

"I will be, soon enough." She said in a slightly softer voice. Beastboy had missed the hint she had given him. "I'm just a little shaken up after…last week."

"Everyone is, what with Slade coming back from the dead. But when we thought there was more going on, Starfire forced Robin to tell us why you hated your birthday so much, and I just wanted to…" Beastboy's eyes went wide when he realized he may have signed the Boy Wonder's death warrant, but Raven seemed to know what she was thinking. (She was a psychic, after all)

"At least he's saved me the trouble of trying to explain." Raven turned to Beastboy and forced a smile. "And now maybe you'll take it easy on me for not being a party animal."

The smile was more than enough to ease the green titan's fear. "Look, Raven, about all those times when I made some stupid comment about you being creepy, I just want to say…I'm sorry. I suppose if someone told me my birthday present was going to be a visit from Slade, I wouldn't be too positive all the time either." It was at this moment that Beastboy noticed Raven was suppressing a giggle. "What, do I have something in my teeth?"

"No, I'm just amused by you trying to compare the two of us. First off, I can't imagine you not trying to make someone laugh. Second, if you had my powers, we all would have been killed the first time Cyborg beat you at videogames." For some morbid reason, Beastboy also found this thought to be amusing.

"Anyway, I just came up to see if you wanted to join us for the movie. We rented Shawn of the Dead" he purposely stretched the title of the movie in an amateur attempt at enticement.

"A romantic comedy with zombies, huh?" Raven flashed a rare and honest smile. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

The changeling stood up and started to leave, when his friend's voice made him stop cold in his tracks. "Beastboy?"

"Yeah, Raven?"

Raven raised her face and let her eyes meet his. "Would you stay and watch the sunset with me?"

Beastboy was greatly taken aback, but there was no way he would turn down such a simple request, no matter who had made it. "Sure." He replied in a confused voice.

Sitting together silently on the roof, Raven and Beastboy watched the darkness fall over Jump City. He couldn't believe such a seeming simple act was taking place, and he was very grateful that his teammate was finally coming out or her shell. Raven however, wasn't experiencing such joyful thoughts of camaraderie.

She was simply watching the sun set on the World she was destined to destroy.

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Jinx was exhausted. For the last week, she had been assaulted by this nightmare, and tonight, she was going to put an end to it. Taking a page from Freddy Vs. Jason, she read the directions on the bottle of antidepressants. Taking two pills with a glass of water, she rolled onto her side and checked her clock to see it was almost 10 p.m. The Hello Kitty clock her friends had given her for her birthday. Thanks, guys. Reeeall Original…

Reinforced with medication, Jinx drifted off into what she hoped would be a dreamless sleep. Oh, was she wrong.

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The credits began to roll and Raven said goodnight to her friends, for what she believed to be the last time. She retreated to her room and gathered her supplies. At 11 p.m., and heavily laden by a spell book, the knife, and a great many candles, she stood at her door and listened for Starfire and Robin to pass. Cyborg and Beastboy were staying up to play videogames, and she took her chance.

Being as quiet as she could, Raven slipped out of her room and headed up to the roof. She had chosen midnight, and she knew she would at least feel a little better if she did this outside. Despite what the others thought, she enjoyed the fresh air.

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The pills didn't work. If anything, they made it worse. This would be the final time she had the dream, and it would be more powerful than any she had ever experienced before.

As usual, there was Titan's tower, surrounded by a river of flame. Once again, the city was in ruin. Right on cue, the demon on the horizon made his appearance. And all around her, her friends had been turned to stone. But this time, it wasn't just her friends. The Titans shared the same fate. All but one, that is. But just because she wasn't among the dead, that didn't mean Jinx never saw her.

All throughout this dream, there were little pieces of the past thrown in. Things Jinx had never seen before. She saw Raven and Slade on the roof. She heard their entire conversation. She heard Raven explaining to her friends about her birthday. She saw Raven in the church. And she also saw something that was about to happen in less than one hour.

Covered in strange red marks, and her hair much longer than usual, Raven, sitting in a ring of candles, raised a knife over her head. In almost slow motion, she saw the knife come down, and when it made contact, it felt like it was being driven into her chest instead.

Jinx woke up with a start and placed a hand over the pain in her heart. She understood now. She knew why she was having this dream. She knew what it meant. And she knew what she had to do.

She knew everything.

In the darkness of her room, Jinx screamed.

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Read and Review.

Ladies and Gentlemen: The throttle is revving, the tires are screaming, and the steel frame is twisting against itself. Next chapter, I'm letting go of the handbrake. Hold on to your handlebars.

Oh, and in the words of Mr. Jimi Hendrix, "Excuse me while I kiss the sky."


	4. Interuptions

After posting the first three chapters, I have come to a terrifying conclusion: I am losing momentum. When I first began this story, I was still overwhelmed by the emotions that assaulted me after first seeing "Birthmark". I could not rest until Raven was saved from her fate. Now that I am beginning to come to terms with this new knowledge, I am finding it harder and harder to type this chapter. But have no fear! I know where I'm taking this, and with YOUR help, we shall arrive at the destination together! For your love of Teen Titans, read and review! Give me reason to march on into the jaws of Cerberus! We SHALL overcome!

Layman's Terms: I've had some writer's block. Please bear/bare with me.

Author's Note: It has come to my attention that the perfect soundtrack for this story is "Like a Stone" by Audioslave. Feel free to spin this mother out.

Special thanks to Triforce90, Scorpio Serpent, and anyone else kind enough to review. And to FaRaven, I am glad I was able to fulfill your Raven-oriented needs.

That's the problem with prophecies. They're never crystal clear.

Mammoth, awakened by his roommate's screams, came running down the hallway, Gizmo close behind. Upon reaching her bedroom door, however, he stopped and allowed the mechanical midget to go first. He knew better than to barge into Jinx's room uninvited in the middle of the night. Or at all, for that matter. Still, the sound he had just heard radiating through the apartment subdued any fears he had of his leader's quarters, replacing them with fears of his friend's safety.

"What the smeg is going on in here?" The diminutive genius's voice rang throughout the hall. Only he could take a question regarding a friend's well being and make it sound like an insult. Mammoth waited several seconds, and when a bright flash of light failed to present itself, he ducked down and squeezed through the doorway.

Jinx was sitting up in bed, covered in sweat, and shaking badly. She was terrified. "What happened?" Mammoth's thunderous voice was mixed with concern. "There's not much time…" Jinx's voice was barely more than a whisper. She looked past her friends and at the Hello Kitty clock on the wall. It was just after 11:00 p.m. She had less than one hour.

"We have to go now." Mammoth and Gizmo simply stared at her. Suddenly she had found her voice. "WE HAVE TO GO NOW!" Mammoth and Gizmo jumped. Jinx leaped out of bed and began searching for something to take the place of her pajamas. "Go where?" Gizmo squeaked. Jinx froze. It had just occurred to her that neither of them had any idea what was going on. She had to explain to them what was about to happen, and she had to do it without sounding insane. When she stopped to think about it, she began to wonder whether or not she was insane. Without turning, she answered Gizmo's question. "Titan's Tower."

To say that her companions were Thunderstruck was an understatement. There were quite a few reasons why this information was so ground shaking, a few of them being: A: They only seemed to stand a chance when one of the Titans was out, whether it be Robin or Cyborg, B: The last time they had entered Titan's Tower, they received a thrashing that still brought pains of embarrassment to this day, and C: the easiest way to send Jinx on the warpath was by mentioning her ex-boyfriend Cyborg/Stone. All these and more had occurred to the two males standing in her room, and it would have been moronic to believe they had not occurred to her. That's why Mammoth's question was so simple. "Why?"

Jinx turned to the duo. "Because in 56 minutes, Raven is going to kill herself."

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Raven walked towards the center of the roof and began to set up her things. It was a clear night, and a full moon shone down upon her. A cool breeze brushed her face as she gazed out over the bay. "Tonight is a wonderful night to die" she whispered.

Soon she was surrounded by a ring of candles, a thick spell book set out before her. Kneeling down, she shrugged out of her cloak, which fell to the ground behind and around her. The last item was unwrapped, and she placed the knife down in front of her. This blessed weapon now served two purposes: A knife to end her mortal life, and an instrument of God to cleanse the evil. There was one more thing she felt she had to do, and in a way, it was this act she feared the most. She had to expose her "birthmark" to the outside world. Leaning forward, she began to read from the spell book. She had no idea how Slade had performed this task, but she knew what she had to do to accomplish it.

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The trio raced down to the sub-level parking garage and headed towards Gizmo's car. Why he had insisted on restoring a Gremlin, Jinx had no idea. (Sorry, couldn't resist) As Jinx climbed into the passenger seat, Gizmo ran around to the driver's side and Mammoth struggled into the back. Jinx glanced into the rearview mirror and barely suppressed a laugh. Imagine Shaq stuffed into a clown car.

Grinding gears, Gizmo, barely peering over the dash, roared out of the ramp and into the street. Jinx would have felt a great deal better had she been allowed to drive, but Gizmo would never allow it. It was his baby.

Now came the moment Jinx had been afraid of. After forcing her teammates to get dressed, the only way she got them into the car was through threat of physical harm. Now that they were en route, they wanted answers. The first question was obvious, and therefore proposed by Mammoth. "How do you know about this?"

Jinx hesitated. "Because I had a dream about it." Was all she could come up with. Gizmo snorted. "Fair enough. May I ask why we should even care?" Jinx knew it was complicated, but the flat out answer was, she wanted to help Raven. She was a teenage girl first, and a super villain second. There was no way she could explain this to her male companions, but how could she describe the severity of Raven's actions without sounding insane. Realizing honesty may be the best policy; Jinx took a deep breath and spit out, "Because if Raven dies, the world will come to an end." You could have heard a pin drop if the engine wasn't coughing so badly. Without waiting to be prompted, she began to tell them everything she knew.

Twenty minutes later, her friends were wide-eyed and stunned. "Why don't those other jerks know about this?" asked Gizmo. "I don't know." was Jinx's response. She was emotionally exhausted after the telling of her tale, and she didn't have the energy to keep arguing. She had to save her strength for what was still to come. The sorceress turned to the goliath and the whiz kid. "I know you think I've lost it, but you have to believe me. I know what is going to happen, I know what has to be done, and I know what will happen if we don't. I can't explain to you two how I know this, because I'm honestly not sure. All I can do is beg you guys to help me. I can't do this alone."

Villains or not, they were moved by their friend's plea. If she felt so sure about this, then there had to be some truth to it. "I'm in." was Mammoth's reply. Gizmo snorted. "Well I think you're both nuts. But since I'm the only one who can hack into the Tin Can's security system, I guess I don't have much choice."

Jinx smiled. Despite what other people may have thought of them, they could depend on each other. "Thanks guys. Now here's my plan."

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After nearly thirty minutes, the incantation was nearly complete. The words were only part of it, however, and she had to be in the right emotional state for this to work. Raven filled her mind with the most painful memories she had ever experienced: Malchior's lies. Terra's Betrayal. Her confrontation with Slade. Pain came flooding back to her, so much that her powers began to manipulate the candles and send them flying and circling around her. She finished the last few lines, and for the second time in her life, not to mention the last week, the change began to occur.

All over her body, the demonic runes and symbols began to appear on her skin. Wherever the touched cloth, it was burned away. The pain hit her in full force, and as she threw her head back and screamed, red light poured from her eyes. Her hair began to grow, not stopping until it fell down to her shoulders. After thirty seconds, the pain subsided, and Raven found herself in the two piece remnants of her clothing. The candles, now twisted and stressed, settled back into their previous positions. The light from the symbols began to fade, and while they were still very visible, they no longer burned. As she looked down at her newly exposed body, the fear and pain she had felt last week came flooding back. Any doubts she had been harboring about her decision were vaporized as she looked over the evil markings. She had to do this.

Raven was about to pick up the knife, but then remembered she still had time. Twenty minutes, give or take. She had promised herself that much. Trying her best to relax, she waited for the clock tower to sound midnight.

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A little known fact regarding Titan's Tower was also one of the most obvious. If anyone stopped to take the time to think about it, they would wonder how the R-cycle and T-car reached dry land, what with the Tower being situated on an island. This situation was resolved by use of an underwater tunnel leading from the basement of the tower, across the bay, and opening into the basement of a privately owned warehouse. This underwater passage, just like the Tower itself and any necessary supplies and repairs, had been donated by Jump City during the last major revamp of the subway system.

At the end of the tunnel, one would find themselves at a great set of double doors leading into the garage and guarded by a security console. It was this console that Gizmo was currently hacking into, and after only five minutes, the doors slid open with a hiss. The trio stepped inside, wished Jinx good luck, and sent her on her way up the stairwell. After a five minute head start, Mammoth walked over to the wall and smashed the console.

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The security alarm began flashing and blaring, arousing the Titans from their sleep. All but Raven, who was oblivious to the commotion while seated on the roof. As Robin, Starfire, Beastboy and Cyborg raced downstairs in the direction the computer prompted, they assumed their dark friend was presently passing through the walls and beating them to their destination.

Beastboy was the first through the door, but made the mistake of hesitating to look for the main light switch. His error cost him when a huge hairy fist sent him hurtling through the air. Cyborg was right behind, and raising his sonic cannon, let loose with a blast that struck Mammoth square in the chest. The villain had been expecting this, however, and was able to stay on his feet while sliding thirty feet across the floor.

Starfire was the next in line, and as was her ritual, she flew high into the air and let loose with half a dozen starbolts. Mammoth was enveloped by a cloud of smoke and dust, and Gizmo, who had been hiding in the shadows, took this opportunity to even the odds a bit. Striking a series of buttons on his controller, a metal disk launched from his backpack, flew within six feet of Starfire, and exploded, enveloping her in the orange force field the Titans had been introduced to at the Hive academy.

With Starfire out of the fight, the teams were three to two. Robin was determined to keep the odds in their favor, and extracting his bo-staff, he rushed forward towards Gizmo and his four robotic legs. It had occurred to them, Cyborg in particular, that Jinx was nowhere to be seen, and this only heightened the amount of awareness the Titans had to display.

The fight continued for several minutes when an electronic beeping began to emanate from Cyborg's arm. It was Midnight.

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Raven was shaken from a self-hypnotic state by the echoing gong of midnight. Heart laden with sorrow for having to put her friends through this, she picked up the knife, muttered a silent prayer to anyone who might care, and raised the weapon over her head. Her body tensed as she began to swiftly bring her arms down. It felt as if she was moving in slow motion. Eighteen inches of distance remained. Now twelve. There was six inches from contact between the weapon and the soft flesh protecting her heart when a sharp pain flew into her hands. With a bright purple flash of light, the knife flew from her hands and landed several feet away.

Raven looked up to find the source of this interruption. There in the doorway of the stairwell, arm outstretched after delivering her recent attack, stood the young hex princess she had come to loathe so much.

Jinx lowered her arm and slowly began walking towards her.

Chapter Four has been delivered. Read and Review.


	5. Salvation

I've made a nasty habit of posting chapters without proof reading, so I've revamped my earlier submissions. Nothing major, but those chapters tended to be short, so by all means feel free to refresh yourselves.

Special Thanks to:

Lolopixie: Wait no more.

Ravenfairie: You're making me blush. Keep going.

Softballtitan009: Your request has been granted.

Jurodan: Thank you, and I look forward to reading your alteration. I recommend all my readers take a look at Starfire's First Christmas, as it is one of my personal favorites.

And especially, Triforce90, my most loyal viewer. MAY DEATH COME SWIFTLY TO YOUR ENEMIES!

Here's Chapter Five. Enjoy.

That's the problem with prophecies. They're never crystal clear.

Jinx rushed through the doorway to the roof and froze in her tracks. At first, she had been overcome by relief to see that she wasn't too late. But this was soon replaced by combined feelings of shock and awe. There was Raven, surrounded by a ring of twisted and tormented candles, and the spell book lying open in front of her. She appeared to be meditating, but this was not the same girl Jinx had last encountered at the HIVE. The dreams had not fully prepared her for this.

Raven was kneeling in the middle of the candles, nestled amongst her discarded cloak. Her suit was ripped, now resembling a two piece swimsuit or lingerie. Wherever her skin was exposed, it bore strange red symbols that seemed familiar, yet she could not recognize them. The lack of clothing and strange tattoos were shocking enough, but it was not the main thing that caught Jinx's attention. Her gaze was drawn to Raven's hair, which was much longer and fell around her shoulders and down to her waist. She had never really noticed this in the dreams.

Jinx knew she should act, but she was spellbound by what she saw. There was something both beautiful and tragic about this scene; Raven, exposed and vulnerable, trying to force her dark heritage to show forth. Suddenly, in the distance, a clock began to chime. It was Midnight.

Jinx watched in horror as Raven raised the knife and began to bring it back down. Taking careful aim, she let loose a blast of energy and knocked the blade from her hands. The half-clothed Titan looked up for the source of the interruption, locked eyes with the female leader of the Fearsome Three, and froze. Jinx lowered her arm and began walking forward, mentally rehearsing how she was going to handle this.

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Gizmo and Mammoth had hesitated when Cyborg's arm announced the stroke of Midnight, unintentionally giving the Titan's a slight advantage. Beastboy, in Gorilla form, delivered a devastating right hook that sent Mammoth hurtling into the wall. Robin took it upon himself to free Starfire from her high-tech prison, and to give him some time Cyborg powered up another blast from his Sonic Cannon. He took aim at Gizmo, intending to clip one of the four mechanical legs emerging from the pip-squeak's backpack.

A beam of blue energy erupted from his arm and streaked across the room. Gizmo had come prepared, however, and quickly typed in a series of buttons on his controller. He was now surrounded by a force field similar to the one trapping Starfire, only this one had a strategic purpose. The Sonic blast made contact with the shield, glanced off the curved surface, and struck Beastboy, sending him flying through the air.

Robin was preoccupied with the generator that had immobilized his female teammate, and because of this did not notice his shape shifting teammate sailing in his direction. The stationary body gave little resistance against one of slightly lesser mass but of much greater momentum, and the two continued forward after contact, damaging the device to a state of disrepair. Now free, Starfire began clapping her hands joyously before realizing the seriousness of the situation.

Mammoth had just regained his footing when a blast of green light shot from the Tamaranian's eyes and sent him right back down to the floor. He was beginning to feel a little envious of Jinx. From what their leader had told them, they were pretty sure she would be able to stop Raven's actions with a little girl talk. Meanwhile, he and Gizmo were outnumbered two to one against a group of superheroes who weren't pulling their punches. Still, his mission was not to win, but to cause a diversion.

Struggling to his feet, he bolted to the wall, lifted Robin's motorcycle over his head, and threw it with all his might, not really caring whom it was aimed at. Gizmo was a little more concerned, considering he was in its path. Another combination of buttons, and Gizmo's robotic legs were replaced by metallic wings. He barely avoided the flying R-Cycle, which continued forward towards the Titans. Beastboy ducked, Robin jumped, and Cyborg was lifted out of the way by Starfire as the bike slammed into the wall.

Cyborg and Robin stared at each other for a brief moment, and then continued the battle with renewed vigor. Breaking into their house in the middle of the night was bad enough, but when vehicles started to be destroyed, things got personal.

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Raven stared in shock as the sorceress slowly began walking forward. Her hands were still stinging from the blast. "That really isn't the best way to handle this, Raven." The Titan seemed to snap out of a trance by blinking her eyes, which then began to glow. The first time she had encountered this girl, she was in the employment of Slade. Who's to say now would be any different? Who better to do his dirty work than a girl of similar age? She had prepared in secret for far too long; her goal was oh so close. She would not be thwarted now. By her death, the World will live. And no one, not her Father Trigon, not the resurrected Slade, and certainly not this little bad luck charm, was going to stop her. With a wave of her hand, the discarded cloak flew into her grasp, and she threw it around her shoulders as her body rose into the air. Black energy radiated from her hands, giving the red symbols she bore an eerie glow.

"I think you'll soon discover that I know the best way to handle many situations." Raven raised a glowing hand and pointed it in the direction of a rooftop air conditioner, which tore loose from its mounts and levitated next to her. "Especially THIS ONE!" With those words, she thrust her arm in Jinx's direction, and the metal box obeyed her orders with horrifying swiftness.

Executing an impressive back flip, Jinx escaped quite gracefully, the air conditioner smashing harmlessly into the doorway. She landed on her feet in a crouching position and looked up just in time to see a second cooling unit reenacting the kamikaze flight of its comrade, and out of instinct alone, she raised her arms and destroyed it with a pair of hexes.

Things had gone wrong far too quickly. During her mad rush to the top of Titan's Tower, she had been mentally going over the situation. Jinx knew that if she and Raven came down to blows, it would be very difficult to have a civilized conversation. There was only one thing to do now: try to stay conscious long enough for Raven to calm down and hopefully establish a showing of peace. This began to prove difficult as she barely dodged yet a third solid mass of metal ripped from the roof. Circling right, Jinx began to run.

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Gizmo didn't know how much longer he and Mammoth would be able to keep this up. Narrowly avoiding a devastating blow from Beastboy's T-Rex tail, he countered with his backpack's duel laser cannon, sending the dinosaur hurtling backwards in the direction of a very distressed looking Starfire. The alien princess just managed to get out of the way, but in her haste did not see Mammoth's aerial attack. With bone-crushing force, she hit the floor and laid there, stunned.

Mammoth got to his feet, turned to his pint-sized teammate, and gave him thumbs up, only to receive a second blast from Cyborg's cannon. Jinx had warned her teammates to avoid anything particularly cruel, but this was too good a chance to pass up. With yet another combination of buttons, the force field reappeared, this time in blue. There was a bright flash of light, a loud crackling sound, and Cyborg fell to the ground, all electronic systems deactivated.

Gizmo smiled to himself as he eyed his handiwork, his own electronics protected by a special shielding. For the next ten minutes, this battle was going to be robot-free.

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Dodging and weaving, Jinx had yet to be harmed by the barrage of metal flying around the rooftop. Her first plan had been to avoid these attacks until Raven's supply of ammo was extinguished, but no such luck. Once the air conditioners were spent, she went on to ventilation fans. Then she began recycling the twisted boxes she had already thrown across the rooftop. Now Raven was ripping up pieces of the floor itself, adding to the deadly tempest of metal flying around her.

Raven continued her assault while going analyzing the situation in her mind. There was one thing she had noticed rather quickly once the battle began. For the first time since she had battled her, Jinx wasn't smiling. This may have been the reason Raven had yet to lose all control and assume her demon form. No matter who had sent Jinx on this mission, Raven was in control. And she was truly enjoying it.

A pair of ventilation fans flew towards Jinx from both sides in a classic flanking maneuver, but due to the rather ample amount of activity going on around her, she only saw the one. She cleared the first with a gracefully leap, only to be caught by the second in midair. The sorceress hit the ground, rolled for about ten feet, and lay still for a few seconds, stunned. Raven decided it was time to end this. The black energy from her hands spread until it consumed the whole of her body, and she executed her rarely used teleportation.

As Jinx struggled to her feet, the tornado of metal suddenly froze in place, and then fell noisily to the ground. Looking around wildly, she discovered that her target had disappeared. Raven soon returned, however, less than three feet in front of her. Jinx crossed her arms in front of her chest, her hands glowing purple, ready to counter any magical attack the witch was about to throw her way. For not the first time that evening, however, the Titan proved she was full of surprises. With all the physical power she possessed, Raven lunged forward and punched Jinx in the face, sending her sprawling against the wall.

"Bad Kitty." Raven said softly as she waved her hand. Jinx's body flew up and struck the wall of the stairwell, knocking the wind out of her. Another wave from the hands of the Titan, and sheets of metal peeled away from the wall, wrapping themselves around the sorceress and pinning her arms in place. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't move.

Raven walked up to the girl until their faces were only inches apart. "Now listen to me VERY carefully." She spoke slowly, adding emphasis to each word. "I'm not sure who sent you, but I have a pretty good idea. You have failed. And when I am gone, you will be free to go. You can then go to your boss in person and inform him that I am dead, and the world will be spared. Do you understand?"

"You're wrong! You can't do this!" Jinx's voice was cut off as Raven waved her hand, summoned the knife, and held the blade less than an inch from her throat. Her captor smirked. "Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you. That's Slade's job. I would like to remind you however that I am far more than capable. Now if you'll excuse me, you've caught me in the middle of something rather important." With that, she turned briskly and walked back to the ring of candles thirty feet away.

Jinx couldn't believe this. She was so close, and now she had to sit and watch while the gothic girl committed suicide. The dream kept replaying itself in her mind. Less than a minute more, and everything she had seen would come true. Jinx bit her lip and cursed herself for being so stupid. If only she hadn't paused upon her arrival to the roof. She could have tried to talk her out of it, rather than sending a ball of fire her way. Maybe it wasn't too late. Maybe if she explained herself now, she could still save them. And maybe Gizmo would grow up to be a professional in the NBA. There was little chance this witch would believe a word she said, but she had to try. She had to stop Raven.

Raven walked back to her place amidst the candles and spell book, clearing away debris with movements of her hand as she went. She knelt back down, shrugged off the cloak, and closed her eyes, letting her senses take in the world one last time. The sound of the water slapping up on the rocks. The salty smell of the bay. Just then, a cool breeze brushed against her face, sending a chill down her spine. She opened her eyes and stared intently at the knife. It was time. She raised her head and took one last look at the full moon, while at the same time raising the weapon. She was a superhero. Her job was to protect those in this world who needed protecting. And right now, the world needed protecting from her. With a deep breath, Raven tensed her body and prepared to bring the knife down.

This was it. Even before she said it, she knew it sounded crazy, but there was no harm in trying. Jinx took a deep breath and managed to speak her peace just before Raven brought the Holy blade down upon herself. "RAVEN, If YOU die, we ALL die!"

Raven paused and looked to where the girl was bound. "What did you just say?"

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Robin grasped Gizmo by his shirt collar and pulled his face to his own. "What did you do to our friend, you little Psycho!" "Relax, sludge-head, the E.M.P. will wear off in a few minutes!" Gizmo shot back. He greatly wanted to gloat about his newest invention, but the murderous look on the Boy Wonder's face warned him against it.

Beastboy in octopus form slid over with a struggling Mammoth wrapped in his tentacles. "What are you doing intruding into our home in the middle of the night?" yelled Starfire with eyes glowing green, her body shaking with rage. Cyborg had just gotten to his feet as the Tamaranian asked the most obvious question, so he asked the second. "And why isn't your little leader taking her share of this whoopin'?"

Once the absence of Jinx was brought to Starfire's attention, she realized a female member of her team was also missing. "Why has Raven not joined us in the kicking of butt?" The Titans looked at each other. "Yeah, where is Raven? She's usually right behind us." stated Robin.

Mammoth and Gizmo exchanged worried glances, which Cyborg caught. "All right, you two! Spill it!" Gizmo took a deep breath. What's best way of telling them his leader was on the roof trying to keep their friend from causing the Apocalypse?

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Raven studied Jinx, doubt clouding her mind. What kind of trick was this? "What did you just say?"

Jinx took a deep breath. "I know why you're doing this. You think you're going to bring the end of the world. They predicted it when you were born, and you saw it on your birthday when Slade came back. And since that happened, you've been having dreams about it every night."

Raven was hesitant. "How do you know that?" She had a pretty good idea, and it went back to the sorceress being sent by Slade. The answer she got was quite different.

"I know this because every night since then, I've been having the same dream. All I ever saw was Jump City in ruins, but tonight was different. I saw you and Slade on the rooftop, I saw you go into the church, and I saw you go through with this. And now that I've seen you up here, I know it was all true. Raven, this is how you do it. If you kill yourself, the world will end."

Raven knelt there, slightly in shock. Everything Jinx was saying sounded so absurd, yet at the same time, Raven believed her. She lost focus, and the metal bars holding her enemy in place fell to the ground, releasing their prisoner. Jinx rubbed the feeling back into her sore arms and began walking forward slowly. She had a chance now. She couldn't blow it.

Raven stared at the knife in her hands as Jinx walked up to her. "I don't understand. Of all people, why did the visions come to you?" Jinx had to take a guess on this one. "Maybe because we have so much in common." Raven looked up at her and almost laughed. "Excuse me?"

"Think about it." She knelt down in front of her and began counting off on her fingers. "Jump City. Two teenage girls. Both are proficient in magic. Both have regular contact with super villains." Raven actually did laugh at that one. Jinx's voice softened as she finished: "And we've both had our hearts broken by those closest to us." Raven's face took on a hurt look. She had sensed something between Cyborg and Jinx at the HIVE, but that only accounted for one of the girls sitting on the roof tonight. "How do you know about Malchior?" Jinx looked down at her hands and blushed. "I guess I picked up a few other useful things in the dream."

That did it. Raven knew now she could trust Jinx. Slade would never be able to force a teenage girl to discuss her love life with an arch nemesis. She turned her attention back to the knife. "But how? How will this cause it?" Jinx placed a hand on Raven's wrist. What she was about to say was also in the dream. She never saw it, but it was there, hiding in the shadows. "If you die, there will be no one left to stop Slade." Raven looked up into her eyes. "You're the only one who can defeat him."

Raven felt her heart skip a beat. Her hand tightened around the handle of the blade, reminding her that it was real. That was what the prophecy meant. Something bad had happened on her birthday. Slade had returned. Slade had hunted her down. Slade had convinced her that she was the Antichrist. And without saying so, Slade had made her think that death was the only way out.

And she had almost done it.

Tears welling up in her eyes and hands shaking badly, Raven dropped the knife to the ground. Jinx leaned forward and placed her arms on the shuddering girl's shoulders, unsure of what to do. "I like your hair." She whispered.

Raven felt a little better after that.

T-E-E-N-T-I-T-A-N-S TEEN TITANS LETS GO T-E-E-N-T-I-T-A-N-S TEEN TITANS LETS GO T-E-E-N-T-I-T-A-N-S TEEN TITANS LETS GO

Another chapter has been delivered. You may thank me by reviewing.

And don't worry. There's more to come next week. You didn't think I'd end Season Four like THAT, did you?

In the meantime, if any of you are looking for a hilarious (yet somewhat naughty) Raven story, I suggest Blueberries(1871342) by WanderingOisin. If it offends you, I apologize. If you love it and curse my name for not recommending it sooner, I am also sorry.


	6. Preperations: Redux

Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed, and to my loyal fans, I owe you an apology. 13 days. 13 DAYS! That is the longest I have ever gone without updating. Hopefully, I left the last chapter in such a state that you were not ripping out clumps of hair in frustration.

Triforce90: Don't put yourself down. This may be my first published fic, but I've penned a lot of stuff that will never see the light of day. Thanks for being there for me since the beginning.

Jurodan: I'm happy you find my story to be believable, and give it such high praise. You are one of my most loyal reviewers (Triforce90posted first), and I always look forward to reading what you have to say. I can honestly say your story "Raven's Destiny" rocked my socks off. A note to readers: NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!

Lolopixie: Thank you for your kind words. I pleased to see I can depict such believable characters.

Ravenfairie: You used the magic word, so here you go.

Sarah: I'm glad someone thinks I'm funny. My teachers call it perversion.

Chelsfanfiction: Thank you for adding me to your list.

Hedi Dracona: Short, sweet, and to the point. Thank you.

Instant Coffee: I thank you for your review, but since you've just started out on Chapter One, you may not see this for a while.

And thank you to everyone who took the time to read, if not review.

For your patience, you receive this reward. I give you Volume 2. Enjoy.

That's the problem with prophecies. They're never crystal clear.

The four Titans rushed up the steps with the two captured villains in tow. This was just a choice of words, since Mammoth and Gizmo were matching them step for step by their own accord. They were just as worried about their own team member as the Titans were about theirs. The thought of taking the elevator crossed their minds briefly, but was rejected when it was discovered that there was not enough room with Mammoth included. The six super teens burst through the door and into the kitchen, then froze in their tracks.

Raven and Jinx, covered in dust, clothes tattered, were sitting at the table and drinking herbal tea.

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Calling the current situation "awkward" would have been an understatement. On one side of the kitchen table sat Robin, Starfire, Beastboy and Cyborg, dirty and exhausted, yet still highly alert. On the opposite end of the table, looking just as tired, disheveled, and highly out of place in these surroundings were Gizmo, Mammoth, and Jinx. There would have been some rather heated glances being exchanged had all heads not been turned to Raven, who was seated at the head of the table.

She had no need to wait for her peers to quiet down and let her speak; Her appearance alone sufficed: Abnormally long hair brushing against her shoulders, suit torn and ripped until little more than an Amazon bikini remained, and her body covered in arcane symbols. Beastboy and Cyborg stood with their mouths agape for one simple (if not slightly perverted reason); they could actually see Raven's cleavage. Starfire had noticed this too, but her attention was drawn to her friend's hair. When the two girls had encountered the Puppet King, Raven had said so herself that she couldn't stand long hair.

Mammoth and Gizmo had been told what to expect, and were thus busy worrying about their surroundings. Only Robin focused on the symbols. Before tonight, he had been the only person to see Raven like this; when he had saved her after the encounter with Slade, the two Titans returned immediately to the Tower, giving Raven time to rest, change her clothing and alter her appearance back to normal. He may have told his teammates what he knew about Slade's return, but he said nothing of what had been done to Raven. This had been their secret until now.

Jinx was the only person at the table who actually had her thoughts in order. She managed to look past the flowing hair, which she really did admire. She no longer allowed her eyes to linger on the markings covering the girl's exposed skin, this being helped by the fact that they seemed to be fading as time passed. Nor was she still fazed by the revealing clothing. She was simply watching the face of a deeply troubled girl, whom less than one hour ago had become one of her closest friends.

No matter who was thinking what, they all sat in rapt attention as Raven explained to them what had happened. She told them everything: the Prophecy, her encounter with Slade, how she had reached her decision, her trip to the antique store, her visit to the church. She finished with the retelling of the events on the roof.

Raven looked around the room, waiting for questions. She would receive none, since most of the people sitting here were too stunned to move. "If that's all cleared up," Raven stood up and stretched, "I think it's just about time for bed. Goodnight, guys." She turned to her savior. "Goodnight, Jinx." And with that, she turned and left the room.

The teens sat in silence for a few moments, no one sure what to do. Starfire was the first to speak up. "Robin, if it is okay with you, I believe our guests would be more comfortable if they did not have to return to their own places of sleeping so late in the evening." Robin thought about this and nodded. Any other time, he would have thought Starfire was insane to let their enemies have the guestroom, but in light of recent events, he seriously doubted they would try anything. Especially now that they knew what Raven was capable of.

He was about to put forth Starfire's request in simple English, but Gizmo beat him to the punch.

"No way! We did our job, now we're going to get out of this house of horrors while we still have a chance! He and Mammoth made it to the elevator door before they realized they had one less than when they arrived. They both turned around to see that Jinx had not moved from her spot.

"If it's alright with you guys, I think I'd rather spend the night."

The Fearsome Two, as they were now, were about to object, but quickly thought better of it. They stepped inside the elevator, waited for the doors to close, and looked at their leader for possibly the last time. Then they were gone.

Jinx turned to the four Titans sitting around her at the table and smiled uneasily. "So, who's my roommate?" Starfire was the only one raising her hand.

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Jinx glanced around nervously as she tiptoed through the dark chamber. Looking around, she couldn't believe it was daylight outside.

This was her second time through the doorway, but the first had been under much different circumstances. She knew how Raven felt about people being in her room, and no matter how much of a friendship had recently developed between them, this still seemed like a stretch.

Raven seemed to be able to read her mind as she answered a question no one had asked. "I know what you're thinking, and yes, you are the first person I have ever willingly invited into my room. You should feel proud."

A grin spreading over her face, Jinx ran a hand over a row of books on a shelf, their covers soft with age and titles written in a language she couldn't understand. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't."

Raven's statement greatly eased her apprehension, so she continued forward with a slightly quicker pace. The dark Titan was sitting on her bed, watching the girl's catlike movements with amusement. She noticed that as the girl looked around, she moved her whole head, rather than just her eyes. This seemed a strange habit for a villain who was so adept at combat, as it could be easy to read her next move. Then again, it didn't seem to have betrayed her yet. She was anxious to begin, but knew that someone like Jinx wouldn't be able to concentrate until she was comfortable in her surroundings.

The pink-haired sorceress's gaze darted about the room, studied an object for a few seconds, and then quickly moved on to the next. The only item that seemed to hold her interest was the strange hand mirror sitting on the desk. Raven saw this and was about to issue a warning, but then decided to hold back and see if her companion would do anything unexpected. She was not disappointed.

Jinx's hand reached out, came within six inches of the mirror's handle, and abruptly paused. She wasn't sure what she felt, whether it was from the object itself or its owner. The hand dropped lazily to her side as she backed up a step, turning to look at Raven.

"Any other teenage girl's room, that thing would look out of place." Raven pondered this statement for a few seconds before taking it as a compliment.

Walking past the closet filled with half a dozen outfits similar to what Raven was wearing now; Jinx paused in front of a large chest sitting in the corner. What's in there?"

"Malchior." Raven replied flatly.

Jinx certainly wasn't expecting that, but she didn't press the matter further. Turning away from the ex-boyfriend stuck in a box, she started towards the bed but froze halfway when something out of place caught her eye. She scooped it up and examined it, but this only raised more questions, so she spun around, pounced onto the bed and flopped down next to Raven. "What's this?"

It was a stuffed animal, a white bunny to be exact, and its clothing, cape, and eyes perfectly matched those of Raven. The girl in question rolled her eyes but smirked nonetheless. "That's Starfire's attempt at showing me how cute I am when a crazy magician turns me into his assistant." Jinx looked up from playing with Bunny Raven's cotton tail and gave the real Raven a confused look. "It's a long story."

Jinx figured that if her new friend wanted to delve into stories of past adventures, she would do so when she was good and ready. Lying on her stomach, she propped her chin up with both hands. "Sorry if I'm snooping around too much."

"Don't be. It would be foolish of me to expect you of all people to not even be a little curious. Now, do you know why I've asked you here?"

Jinx's expression grew serious, a rarity in and of itself. "I've got a pretty good idea, and it has something to do with Slade."

Raven nodded. "If I'm really going to stand up against him, I may not walk away. If this were to happen, I want someone to at least have an idea of how to stop him. No matter how impossible it sounds. But mostly, I want someone to be there to help protect my friends if things go wrong."

She looked up and met Jinx's eyes. When she spoke again, her voice was soft and pleading. "Jinx…will you help me?"

The sorceress's mouth spread into a wide grin, and Raven felt a great weight lifted from her chest. "After what I went through last night, do you really have to ask?" She reached over and picked up the book in Raven's lap, scanned the pages, and frowned. "Of course, this would be a lot easier if I could read it."

Smiling, Raven pulled herself into a cross-legged position across from her new team mate. A cloud of black energy enveloped the stuffed animal, and it floated back to its place on the shelf. "If that's the case, we'd better get started."

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For the next few days, the two girls kept out of sight in Raven's room, only immerging for meals and trips to the bathroom. The other Titans were more than a little leery of their new houseguest, but they were careful to never show any ill feelings towards the pink-haired girl. Raven had told them that she needed help, and Jinx was the one person who could. Their teammate may have been suicidal, but she wasn't stupid. In fact it may have been because of Raven's recent actions that they did not want to challenge her. Needless to say, they were all still in a subdued state of shock over what a close call it had been.

One thing bothered Robin most of all. When Raven had told them about the fight on the roof, she ended by telling them about how she had tossed the knife away. At the time, it had greatly alleviated her teammate's fears that she might try again.

But the next morning, when Robin went up to the roof to inspect the damage, he could not find a trace of the dagger anywhere. Someone had beaten him to it.

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Raven peered over the top of the book in her hands and studied Jinx. Despite the challenges of being forced to learn an ancient language AND interpret the words into a spell she could use, she was progressing rapidly. For the hundredth time, Raven turned over a single thought in her mind. She had prayed for help, for some way out. And this was who she got. She looked up and down the girl's body: the black and pink striped socks, the demented black dress, the bizarre pink hairdo. The last thing the witch expected was help from the sorceress. But that is exactly what she received, and she was grateful.

Her thoughts ground to a halt when Jinx asked a much unexpected question. "Hey, Raven? Where do you think we go when we die?"

"What?"

"I mean, do you believe in an afterlife?"

Raven considered this for only a few seconds. "I don't believe. I know." Jinx looked up from her book and studied her closely. "I don't mean I've seen it or anything. I'm just basing this on what I know as fact. Trigon is real. It stands to reason that a pure force on the opposite end of the spectrum should also exist. This would be the being unto which most religions are devoted. And in each of these religions, that being promises an afterlife. Just like what Trigon has promised to me."

This was starting to scare Jinx a little bit, but she continued anyway. "What's that?" Raven met her gaze directly. "When I die, I get to spend eternity in Hell."

Jinx was shocked. "How can you say that? How can you even THINK that? You haven't done anything wrong!" To add to her dismay, Raven smiled. Closing her eyes, she held out her palms, and the hated runes made another appearance. They weren't strong enough to burn away her clothing, which was fortunate since Raven would soon start to run out of uniforms. This time, they only appeared on the palms of her hands, and they were only bright enough to be seen in the candle-lit room.

Raven opened her eyes. "It doesn't matter what I do in my life. It matters because of what I am. I seriously doubt a half-demon is going to be allowed through the pearly gates. Especially if her death brought the end of the world."

Raven was not trying to scare her friend; she was just trying to get her point across. Everyone thought she was creepy. Everyone thought she was moody and despised fun in any and all forms. But she has no choice. She was born into this world with the knowledge that she would destroy it. Not only that, but the power she could control to a minor degree would be released if she displayed any emotion at all. She was not allowed to have fun, because doing so would make her a danger to herself and others. Maybe if someone else was forced to walk in her shoes, they would be a little moody all the time too.

Raven had become lost in her thoughts, so she was snapped back to reality somewhat when she realized Jinx was now kneeling in front of her, face to face. She watched curiously as the hex-princess reached down, took both of Raven's hands in her own, and began tracing the symbols with her thumbs. "You don't think you'll be able to beat Slade, do you?"

Raven met her pink eyes unflinchingly, tears swelling up at the corners of her own violet ones. "No. I don't. In my pit of my heart, I truly and honestly don't believe I can. But I'm going to try."

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On Saturday night, Raven and Jinx made an appearance and did something unexpected. They joined the other Titans for movie night. It was Cyborg's turn to choose, so the film of the evening was "The Lady Killers". He had hoped Tom Hank's constant habit of quoting Edgar Allen Poe would appeal to his distant teammate. It did seem to hold her interest, and the dark humor always kept a smile on her face. Her fellow teammates kept glancing at her out of the corners of their eyes. They were still surprised by how much older the girl looked with long hair.

After the film, the Titans began to file out, but Raven and Jinx didn't move. Robin was about to bid the others goodnight, but felt a sense of tension radiating between the two. "Is something wrong?" The two girls looked at each for a few moments. It was like they were having a conversation without speaking the words.

Looking around at her teammates, Raven finally answered. "Tonight at midnight, it will have been exactly Thirteen days since my encounter with Slade. We've been preparing for something big to happen. And whatever it is, it's going to happen tonight."

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Next chapter will be up soon. I'm sorry if this doesn't live up to my quality of writing in previous chapters, and I may come back and do some revamping. I also think I may have taken Gizmo and a few of the others out of character.

Author's Note: That stuffed Bunny Raven was an actual item on Ebay. It was advertised as a hand-made, one of a kind item, and it sold for 51 dollarsplus shipping and handling.

This just in! It seems that in a recent study, 9 out of 10 doctors recommend reviewing on a regular basis! (The tenth doctor was beaten to death by his companions.)

9 out of 10 can't be wrong! Not only does it FEEL good, but it's good FOR you. (No threat intended.)

Please, Read and review.


	7. Revelations

You didn't really think I'd forgotten about you guys, did you?

I want to apologize to all of my reviewers. My Dad has recently discovered the joys of Ebay, and I can barely find time to read Penny Arcade, much less type a new chapter. Still, you have to admire a man who can take 300 worth of toy trains, fix them up, and resell them for over 1,300.

With the help of God, Father Almighty, the next update will be sooner. In the meantime, keep a close eye on Jurodan's "Raven's Destiny". It continues to rock me like a hurricane.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. (I do not own Teen Titans or CCR)

That's the problem with prophecies. They're never crystal clear.

The wind whipped through her long dark hair, brushing against her shoulders and obscuring her view. With more than a little annoyance, Raven blew a strand out of her face. She almost couldn't stand having this much hair.

Of course, that was why she hadn't cut it right away after Jinx had saved her on the rooftop of Titan's Tower. It was a reminder of why she was doing this. Unlike the glowing symbols, which thankfully had faded to transparency, the hair was something Raven had control over. When she had cut her hair the night of her encounter with Slade, she had been trying to hide from the truth. But she couldn't hide any longer. If and when she finally did cut it, all this would be over.

Raven and Jinx were standing on the roof of the building where the Titans had witnessed Slade's return thirteen days before. If Slade would appear tonight, this would probably be the place, and Raven had no doubts over the question of "IF". As the two sorceresses stood in the moonlight, Raven's thoughts drifted back to the events of the past fifteen minutes.

"How long have you two known this?" Robin asked incredulously.

Raven met his gaze with one of equal ferocity. "We don't know this. We suspect it. And we've been suspecting it since I began teaching her."

"We're coming with you." Robin shot back at her.

"No." Raven replied flatly.

"There's no way you two can beat Slade on your own!" was her team leader's worried response. Jinx stood a little ways behind Raven, trying hard not to meet anyone's gaze. She felt like she was stealing one of their best friends away from them. It wasn't like her experience with Cyborg, though. This time, she was going to succeed.

"That may be true, but I'm the only one who can actually hurt him."

"But friend Raven, how can you believe such a thing?" this from Starfire. Beastboy and Cyborg had yet to speak up, still dumbstruck by the flood of information they were being subjected to.

Raven's response was brisk and delivered in her usual monotone. "Simple. He's a demon, and so am I."

Raven walked to Jinx's side before she continued to speak. "I know I'm not the nicest person in the world, and I also know how heartless I seem right now. But you guys are the only friends I've ever really had. I want you to remember that, no matter what happens. Goodbye."

Without further discussion, Raven grasped Jinx's hand, the pair was enveloped by black shadow, and they were gone. The Titans were left standing stock still, their faces stricken with shock.

And so, here they were, two teenage girls standing in the brisk night air, ready to lay down their lives to stop the Apocalypse.

Raven's concentration was suddenly lost, however, due to the actions of her companion. For the last couple of minutes, Jinx had been walking along the edge of the roof, balancing precariously and humming softly. It was only recently that she had forgotten the dire seriousness of the situation, and burst out into song:

"I seeee a bad moon a-rising,

I see trouble on the way.

I see earthquakes and lightnin'

I see bad times today."

Raven was lost as to how this was the person unto which she had entrusted her fate. Her lips slowly took the form of a smirk, and she turned her attention the full moon that was above them now. It was blood red. For a brief moment, she could have sworn she saw one of Trigon's runes across its surface. Somehow, her grin remained. Probably because Jinx was trying to deepen her voice, making a futile and hilarious attempt at sounding like Creedance Clearwater Revival.

"Don't go round tonight, or it's bound to take your life,

Theeere's a bad moon on the rise.

Hope you've got your things together,"

This was as far as Jinx got into her John Fogerty impression before a new voice chimed in:

"Hope you both are quite prepared to die."

Jinx froze and spun around to face Raven, who had her attention directed to the dark figure that had materialized at the center of the roof, less than thirty feet away.

"Hello, ladies." Slade took a step forward. "Hope you don't mind if I'm a little early." At that moment, a clock tower in the distance began to chime midnight.

The chimes continued to strike, but Slade kept speaking anyway. It's not like his voice was going to get drowned out. It seemed to pierce their very souls.

"I must say, I'm quite surprised to see you alive, Raven. I was sure you'd take your own life in an attempt to prevent the inevitable." He turned to look at Jinx. "What I didn't count on was your little girlfriend having nightmares. Too bad you left your teammates at home. They could have died along side you. It would have been quick. Now…" Slade shook his head mockingly. "Now they'll suffer the same fate as every other person in this world. They will suffer the fate YOU brought upon them."

Raven bit down on her lower lip, trying to keep her anger in check. Still, Slade's prodding was having an effect. As Jinx looked on in stunned silence, the markings began to reappear all over her friend's body.

"Why?" Raven spat. "Why didn't you kill me when you had the chance? Were you just trying to torment me?"

Although they couldn't see, they were sure Slade was smiling beneath the mask. "Of course not, sweetheart. That was only a fringe benefit. The answer is quite simple, really." Slade walked forward as he spoke, stopping about ten feet away from the pair. "You see, my Boss wanted to see the look on your face as the world you gave your life to protect was destroyed. Your Father wanted a little family reunion."

Raven was confounded. What was he talking about? "You make it sound as if I had a chance of avoiding him." Slade said nothing, and a thought began to dawn on Raven. "That's where I'm going when I die, isn't it?" Still nothing. "Isn't it?"

Slade heaved an overly dramatic sigh. "Fraid not, birthday girl. It was quite puzzling to me, as well." He began to circle them. "Here we have a girl with the blood of demons flowing through her veins, a girl who has the power to end this world. A girl who would be known by many as the Antichrist. And yet, for some reason, you have a clean slate."

Raven's head was spinning. She wanted so desperately to believe what he was saying, but it was impossible. Never the less, he continued.

"Maybe it was when you were baptized by Azar; maybe it's this chosen lifestyle of using your powers to protect the weak and helpless. Whatever the reason, you've been recommended to the Spirit in the Sky. And needless to say, Trigon isn't very happy."

That was it. Despite the source of the information, Raven somehow knew it was true. She wasn't doomed. She still had a chance. Not even spending time with Malchior had made her feel so free inside. The voice of Slade, however, pulled her back to reality.

"I was given the job of finding a way to bring you home. And if my former employee had been just a few seconds late, I would have succeeded. You would be dead, standing before your Father, your soul tarnished by the mortal sin of suicide. I would be unopposed, free to unleash the armies of darkness across this mortal plain. I have failed, and Trigon is very, very, unhappy."

Slade came to a stop before Raven and Jinx, his voice dripping with rage.

"Know this, Angel. You may have escaped him, but you will not escape me. Heaven or Hell, you are going to die, and this world will end. I will see to it. Right here. Right now."

Raven turned to Jinx, searching her eyes. "This is your last chance, Jinx. Leave now and I won't think any less of you. You've done so much for me already."

To her surprise, Jinx smiled. "The Hounds of Hell couldn't drag me away right now." She crossed her arms across her chest, her hands radiating with pink energy. "Well, Angel, ARE you quite prepared to die?"

Returning the smirk, Raven turned to face Slade while matching her friend's battle stance, black energy flowing around her. "I've been ready since the day I was born."

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Keep the reviews coming.

In the meantime, imagine a movie based on one of the novels of my all time favorite author and international bestseller Clive Cussler. Then imagine that he was given complete control over how the movie was made…

Check out Sahara, opening April 8. It'll rock your socks off.


	8. Apocalypse: Now

I owe all of you an apology. When I began this story, my purpose was to provide Teen Titans fans with a substitute, easing some of the strain we were going through while waiting for news of Raven's fate. It started out well, and I would update on a weekly basis. Then, once I had finished the first half of this adventure, I began to lose momentum. Updates came at two week intervals. Then it was three. I can't help but feel I was letting you good people down.

But NO MORE! The next Raven episode, "Prophecy", airs June 4 (TVTome). As God as my witness, this story shall come to an end long before Cartoon Network gives us our fill! I'm on a deadline, people. And I will achieve it…

Some of you may have read this the first time I posted it, and if so, I am sorry. I was in a rush and tried to post something that could easily be called "unfinished work". Please don't judge me on something I allowed to see the light of day for a forty-eight hour time period. I hope this makes up for it.

We have come so far together in this journey; the end is drawing near. Friends, I beg of you: Please, read and review.

Dedicated to Jurodan, who can take the painful sting out of criticism.

That's the problem with prophecies. They're never crystal clear.

A ball of flame came rushing at Raven and Jinx, being controlled almost subconsciously by their opponent. Reacting quickly, Raven threw up her arms and engulfed the two girls in a black shield, the mass of fire slamming into the transparent wall. Jinx took her turn, leaping into the air and letting loose with half a dozen hex bolts, which slammed into the floor in a circle around Slade. The attack had the desired effect, as a large circle of the roof fell through to the building's interior, leaving Slade standing in mid-air in a very cartoonish fashion. It then proved futile as He took a few steps forward until he was standing on solid ground.

"Nice try, sweetie. I always knew you had potential. I also know you have a habit of bungling up a job…"

Slade pulled back a fist and through it towards the witch and sorceress, sending a stream of fire in their direction. The attack nearly reached its mark before it was shattered against a wall of energy, and to the surprise of all, this shield was not black. It was pink.

Jinx stood with her arms outstretched, trying desperately to hold her concentration. The force field wasn't nearly as strong as one produced by Raven, but it was doing the trick. In the back of her mind, Jinx kept repeating the same three words over and over, doing her best to maintain focus: "Azerath Metrion Zinthos!"

Raven took only a split second to admire the skill she had imparted upon her student. She had been just as surprised when Jinx had been able to use her mind-clearing words, but then again it probably didn't matter what she said. Karma was karma, simple as that. Trial and error had revealed that song lyrics were also effective, but words that stemmed from true magic were probably more reliable than "Crazy Train" by Ozzy, one of the sorceress's personal favorites. Jinx was gifted with a certain power, and while she had perfected it to her own purposes, a little manipulation and concentration could still go a long way.

Raven took her turn at bat, concentrating on a trick Jinx had helped her to master. Her power was most effective when it was focused through a solid object, but on occasion, she was able to send forth projectiles comprised solely of dark energy. Raven let loose with her own versions of Jinx's hex bolts, which, while quite powerful, had little effect when they struck Slade. He did stagger back a step, however, a sign that allowed the girls a brief sigh of relief. They might actually be able to hurt him after all.

Using the window of opportunity that had been opened for her, Raven rose into the air and turned her attention to a freight crane that hung through a skylight and down into the bowels of the factory below. The machine was engulfed by black energy and with a tremendous crunch, was ripped from its mountings. The mass of metal lifted into the air, hanging suspended momentarily. Raven sensed something wrong; the crane proving difficult to control. Of course it weighed thousands of pounds, but she had lifted far heavier in the past. The machinery remained motionless for what seemed like an agonizingly long stretch of time, while in reality, was only a few seconds. Then, with the momentum of a speeding train, it hurled itself at Slade.

The villain was buried beneath several tons of steel and cable, the floor beneath him sinking from the sudden addition of weight. It held true, however, as the weight was soon removed. With a bright flash of flame, the crane was blown skyward nearly fifty feet, until it came crashing back down through the skylight. Slade stood in the same spot, the only difference being his glowing slightly after the recent expulsion of power. He looked up at Raven, slowly shook his head in a disapproving fashion as he brushed some dust from his shoulder, and began striding forward.

Raven knew she had to slow his progress. If he got his hands on her, it was all over. Glancing over at the beams which had held the crane up until now, the dark-haired girl tried to wrestle them from the spot. They began to glow with dark energy, lifted several feet away from their crossbars, and then fell back into place. When Raven tried a second time, they remained motionless.

A horrifying realization dawned upon Raven. She knew now why Slade had intentionally lifted her spirits. Strong emotions caused her to lose control of her powers, and he knew this. Terra had revealed to him her dangerous temper, but any true feeling would cause her to lose herself. Malchior had been a risk, but he was teaching her new spells, allowing her to strengthen her mind. Besides, that was nothing compared to learning that your soul may not be damned for eternity. This was the happiest she had ever been in her entire life. And it was going to get her killed.

Jinx wiped the sweat from her eyes and glanced over at Raven, who seemed frozen in place. She didn't know what the problem was, but the girl had to do something about it. Throwing her arms down at her sides, she drew upon the forces she was gifted with and her hands began to glow. Clearing her mind and concentrating with all her strength, the energy radiating from her doubled in intensity. As if she were wielding a sword or mace, Jinx threw the bolts forward, silently praying for some sort of effect. She did succeed, but not in the fashion she had hoped.

The attack found its mark, striking Slade square in the chest and knocking him off his feet. He didn't stay down for long, however, and decided to turn his attention away from Raven.

"I have to admit, kid. Your little girlfriend is REALLY getting on my nerves…"

Without the flinch of a single muscle, twin serpents of flame burst up from the ground, encircling Slade and ripping up great chunks of concrete as the slithered through the air. A second mental command was sent, and the fiery incantations raced forward, demonic purposes focused on a very frightened mistress of bad luck.

Raven dropped the ventilation fans she was about to catapult and tried to place a shield around her friend, who was too scared to do much of anything but stand in shock. But for the second time that evening, Raven's power failed her.

Only the barest of a shield sprang up in front of the hex princess, and it was just enough to stop the streams of fire. The debris they were carrying were too much for Raven's overstressed mind, however, and the black bubble burst, unable to withstand the onslaught of over a hundred pounds of concrete and steel.

Blocks of stone larger than herself slammed into the roof all around Jinx, missing her by inches. Leaping backwards, a tricky little piece of rebar caught her feet, causing her to stumble. With horrifying slowness, the girl fell over the side.

The distance was too great. There was no way she could span a gap that far, that fast. Raven closed her eyes and willed her very soul into the task at hand. A dark pool of energy formed on the patch of roof recently occupied by the pink haired teen. It continued to form and mutate, taking the shape of a giant claw as it slid along the roof.

Jinx watched in horror as the ground eight stories below came rushing up at her. Suddenly, her descent ceased, and she felt a crisp chill overtake her entire body. Looking down at herself, she discovered the source of her salvation as the Raven's claw pulled her back up to the safety of the roof.

Raven focused all of her being on retrieving her companion safely. She had just lifted her over the roof's ledge and was about to set her down when the punch landed in the middle of her back. With his opponent's attention was diverted, Slade saw an opportunity and took it. Raven was thrown forward twenty feet where she crumpled to the ground. The phantom apparition followed the movements of its mistress, and Jinx was thrown to the side, slamming into a brick wall that had previously housed ventilation fans. The ethereal claw disappeared and she sank to the ground, barely clinging to consciousness.

Raven struggled to her knees and raised a hand to her face, about to brush away a lock of this stupid hair. Her hand stopped halfway as the cold, powerful claw grasped her wrist and spun her around, throwing her hard into the floor. The teenage hero tried to get up a second time when she was apprehended once again.

"I told you, Raven. No matter what you do, no matter where you go, no matter how badly you squirm, your destiny will be fulfilled." Raven was brutally pulled up off the floor. "There was nothing you could ever do to stop it."

Slade held Raven by the throat at arm's length, slowly tightening his grip. Try as she might, the stress was too great; she couldn't gain the slightest control of her powers. Tighter and tighter, Slade increased pressure, slowly crushing her windpipe. The damned tattoos burned forth brighter than ever before, hot enough that they were burning her flesh. This was it. She was going to die. Everyone was going to die.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll tell your Dad you said hi…"

Jinx struggled to an upright position, trying desperately to remember where she was. A cry from Raven quickly jogged her memory. Climbing to her feet in a vain attempt to help her friend, she was forced back to the ground by a jabbing pain in her side. Looking down, she saw the source tucked into her belt. She wasn't sure why she had picked it up that night, but now the answer was clear. It was just like the dreams; it was meant to happen, so they could have a chance at stopping this.

Wrapping her hand around this newly discovered tool of salvation, Jinx ran forward, one thought emblazoned in her mind. God help her, she was going to save her friend…

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That's it for now.

Friends, we have come along way. If we were trying to destroy the One Ring, then this is the part where Gollum jumps out of the shadows and goes to town on us. Let's hope our journey goes a little more smoothly.

Eight chapters down, one to go. Keep the reviews coming people.


	9. Conclusion

I want to thank Jurodan for pointing out some grammatical errors in my last chapter, and at the same time I want to apologize. I was a little too desperate to give you guys an update, and I did not proofread the finished product as carefully as I should have. I feel like I tried to pass off a rough draft, and it sickens me. A teacher once told me: "If you don't have time to do something right, when will you have time to do it over?"

Apparently, right now. I invite all of my readers to return to the last chapter, which I continued to revamp until I was pleased with my work. I hope you will be satisfied also. Now, on to business.

Well, here we are. A great journey is at last near its end. I want to thank all of you who reviewed, fueling my need to deliver something that will slake the thirst of Teen Titans fans everywhere. I also want to thank anyone who read this story without reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed it. I slowed down slightly while I completed my graduation, and even more as I have become involved in a serious relationship.

A special thanks to Jurodan, whose insight I always found valuable. Please visit his own personal take on Season 4, Raven's Destiny.

And thank you to Triforce90, my first ever reviewer.

Now, our time has come. Let us cross this threshold.

Ladies and Gentlemen, in the immortal words of Ozzy: "I'll see you on the other side…"

That's the problem with prophecies. They're never crystal clear.

"A prophecy, that misread, could have been."-Yoda

Jinx ran forward, her hand wrapped around the knife Raven had taken into the church. Any words or chants that could help her concentrate and use her powers were pushed out of her mind by one repetitive thought: She had to save Raven.

Slade turned his attention to Jinx, trying to determine what this stupid girl was attempting. His eyes widened with shock as they fell upon the knife. He had never seen the weapon before, but he knew what it was, nonetheless. Raising his free hand in her direction, Slade attempted to halt his would-be assailant.

Jinx barely had time to react as the floor beneath her ripped open, sending shards of metal and cement directly into her path. The debris slammed into her legs, forcing her to the ground. The jagged remnants of the floor cut through her stockings and into her thighs, letting the blood flow freely. She bit her lower lip, trying to fight back the urge to scream. The sorceress almost blacked out from the combination of exhaustion, stress, and pain. But she couldn't give up.

Slade was intending to finish off Raven before the eyes of her companion, but there was too much risk now. He had to deal with Jinx first. A serpent of fire emanated from Slade as his being began to glow. Raven found just enough breath to scream, her vulnerable body being fully exposed to his Hell-given power.

The fiery creation flew towards Jinx, just as she pulled her arm back and sent forth her own attack. Tears and sweat burned her eyes, but she still saw the knife as it went sailing through the air, traveled through the flames unharmed, and continued on course to the intended target. The blade buried itself into the shoulder that was supporting Raven, and she fell to the ground with a light thud.

The sound that came from Slade was unlike anything the two girls had ever heard before. If it had been a normal knife plunged into the flesh of a normal person, the wound probably would not have been so severe. But neither could be considered normal. Jinx looked on in horror, words failing her as the limb she had attacked turned to ash and disintegrated.

Now, the symbol on his fore head was not the only visible link Slade shared with his newfound archaic power. His arm was gone, replaced with a transparent claw comprised entirely of flame. The red light emanating from Slade doubled in intensity, and he screamed at Jinx with a voice that was not of this world. "YOU LITTLE WRETCH! YOU WILL BEG FOR THE SWEET RELEASE OF DEATH BEFORE I AM FINISHED WITH YOU!"

Raven heard little of this as she lay on the ground; hold her aching head in hands that bore the markings of demons. The exposure to Slade had been too much. She could almost hear the voice of Trigon himself, the words of the prophecy being repeated continuously in an inhuman language. The truth was being screamed at her from all directions, including within. If she died now, Slade would be unstoppable. If she died by the hand of her Father, the world would end.

If.

The prophecy said If.

Raven's eyes shot open as her heart seemed to leap into her throat. It was so simple. The priests were so overcome by the potential destruction she could cause; they had neglected the fact that it was not absolute. You don't use the word "If" unless there is doubt. In that one little word, Raven knew her destiny was in her own hands, which she subconsciously clenched into fists. First, the prophecy had almost caused her to commit suicide. Now, it had almost caused her to lose hope.

The witch's head began to spin as she was overcome with emotion. Her friends had seen something similar to this before, when she completely lost control. But then, she had been overcome with Rage. Now, it was a torment of emotions unlike anything she had ever before experienced. The joy she felt knowing her eternal soul may not have been doomed from birth. The hope that washed over her as she realized she didn't have to end this world she so dearly cared for. The pure hatred she felt for Slade.

Raven turned her attention to Jinx who was about to receive a vicious attack from their tormentor, and the final piece fell into place. She also had a friend who was willing to die for her. Suddenly, the damn broke.

Slade's strategy had been to force Raven to be engulfed by Rage, losing all control. It was not pure Rage she was being consumed by, however. It was something even more dangerous; far more powerful.

The Titan rose to her feet and continued this ascent until she was floating three feet above the ground. It was as if her actions were being controlled by some higher force. In a sense, they were.

Jinx closed her eyes and braced herself for the savage blow she was about to receive, but it never came. One eye slowly opened, and there was Slade, his raised phantom arm raised in the air, frozen in place. His attention was no longer focused on his imminent victim, though. Rather, he was staring at the present threat to his ungodly mission. Jinx followed his gaze, and her jaw dropped.

Raven hung suspended with her arms outstretched, long flowing hair and the tattered remnants of her cape billowing out around her. Energy radiated from her entire body, adding to the unearthly glow sent forth by the symbols adorning her flesh. The radiance of the glowing symbols was almost painful to look at, but something was different. For a second, Jinx thought the color of the tattoos had changed, but they were still the same shade of blood red she was accustomed to. It was the energy being channeled by Raven that was different. It was white.

"Leave her alone, Slade. Your fight is with me!"

Slade seemed to regain his composure, ridding the pain from his voice and filling it with a cold malice that would make skin crawl.

"That was before she took my arm. Still, if she means that much to you, I will let her be. I will let her watch you die. Then, she will bear witness to the coming darkness that you were so inadequate to prevent. The girl will not be killed. Instead, she will be submitted to horrors far worse than death."

Slade was playing on what he thought to be his trump card, fueling Raven's hate for him until she lashed out blindly without thinking of defense. The light radiating from the girl gained intensity, and he thought the plan was working. But then she spoke.

"If you think I'd allow that to happen, then have I got a really big surprise for-"

Raven was cut off as Slade suddenly through both arms forward, projecting twin streams of flame. She raised her right hand as if she was deflecting the attack, only to absorb it into her own field of energy. Slade's eyes widened in terror. This was a surprise.

"This ends NOW!"

Raven crossed her arms in front of her chest, forcing the shield around her to be contained within her hands. She spoke no incantations for this spell; she didn't need to. She was gaining strength from her soul, using a type of magic that far surpassed her usual forms of witchcraft. It seemed almost impossible that the light could get any brighter, yet it did. With one fluid motion, Raven flung her arms out and to the sides, while throwing out her chest. All of the power she had been channeling exploded forward like a missile.

Slade was engulfed in the blinding white light. If he had been screaming, it was impossible to tell. The energy began to swirl, faster and faster, obscuring his silhouette from view. Then, the strange cloud lifted off the ground, leaving Slade frozen in place. It compressed upon itself, burst out in all directions, and suddenly the city was thrown into daylight. There, above the rooftop, was an enormous white raven.

Jinx looked on as the ethereal bird threw back its head and let out an unearthly cry. Only, for the first time that evening, the sound was not evil in origin. Rather, it seemed to fill her with a warmth that made her completely forget the horror and pain the two girls were being threatened with.

Then, as suddenly as the incarnation had appeared, it flew strait down, slamming itself into Slade and out of existence. The stream of light continued with devastating force, yet Slade remained standing. Instead, he began to disintegrate. Like a satellite lost in reentry, pieces began to break off and burn up in a flash. Jinx had no idea what was going on. She was less than twenty feet away, yet she felt none of the heat that was destroying their opponent. The breeze that tossed her hair felt almost cool.

There was one final pulse, and what was left of Slade exploded, leaving nothing but dust. The floor in the middle of the epicenter was cracked and burned. The breeze died, and the city was plunged back into the shadow of night. All was still.

Jinx painfully climbed to her feet and surveyed the scorched crater where Slade had been standing seconds before.

"Damn." was the only word she could produce.

Finally, the hex princess snapped out of her trance and ran over to her friend. Raven was slumped down on her knees, staring at the birthmarks on her hands.

"Is it over?"

Raven glanced over at the area of roof that had, until recently, been occupied by her arch-nemesis.

"You mean Slade? Yeah. He's gone."

Without looking at the other girl, Raven went back to studying her glowing body.

Jinx was baffled by her companion's behavior.

"What's wrong with you? We won! We saved the freaking WORLD! And you heard what Slade said! "Spirit in the Sky", and all that stuff! Why aren't you jumping for joy?"

Of course, Raven jumping for joy was a long shot, but the response she got caused Jinx's heart to sink.

"Because it was Slade who said it. When was the last time he was truthful if it wouldn't benefit him? When has he not used lies to manipulate the will of others?"

Raven looked up at her partner.

"You just saw what I'm capable of. Black or white, I was born with that power. And it is impossible for me to escape from that power. " She buried her face in the hands that bore the mark of her Father. "Just like everything else I was born with."

Jinx didn't know what to say. After a little bit, she knelt down and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. She racked her mind, looking for anything that would make her comrade feel better. But there was nothing she could say. As if to enhance the miserable ambiance, Jinx felt a heavy drop of rain as it pelted her cheek. This soon became a light downpour.

"Fantastic." Jinx grumbled to herself.

Raven didn't notice her friend's complaint. Rather, something deep down began nagging at the back of her mind. She looked up in a frantic search for the red full moon, but it was gone. The sky was filled with thick, billowing clouds. The sky had completely changed within a matter of moments, and for a brief couple of seconds, Raven took this as a confirmation of her fears. But then, she became aware of the rain.

The cool water pelted her skin softly, soaking through her clothes and sending a chill down her spine. Something was different about the shower, something about the way it felt. There was a slight tingling sensation as it made contact; something vaguely familiar. She looked back down at herself and her jaw dropped.

The symbols were washing away. All over her arms and legs, the color of the tattoos began to run like wet paint as the drizzle cascaded over her. Somehow, the demonic dye was being drawn from her body. It made no sense. This couldn't possibly be happening. But the streaks of color proved a solid argument.

Raven felt herself becoming lightheaded; Jinx leapt forward and barely stopped her from knocking her head against the pavement.

"Raven? What's wrong? Are you okay? Raven, answer me!"

Raven heard her calling, but it sounded very distant. Her consciousness was consumed by the revelation that had just slapped her in the face. She knew now what was so strange about the rain. She knew what felt so familiar about it. It felt like the holy water in the church.

Blackness began to creep into the corners of her vision. She still couldn't hear Jinx's worried cries. The last thing she could remember was glancing at her purple cloak as it became soaked and heavy. It almost looked like those colors were running too.

Then, the darkness took her.

Raven's eyes crept open and the first thing to greet her was a very perturbed-looking Jinx. The sky was filled with pink and orange. It was almost morning.

"Raven? You okay?"

"I think so…what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Raven started shifting to her knees in an attempt to stand.

Jinx smirked. "Or an angel."

Raven was about to ask what the hell that meant when she glanced down at herself and froze.

The archaic symbols were gone, washed away by the evening's rain. But there was something more. It was as if the rain had cleansed her soul. Raven struggled to her feet and surveyed herself. Her skin seemed a little darker, but that was only from comparison. She was clothed completely in white.

She stood there for awhile, a look of dismay on her face. It had happened. She was free. Her soul, her destiny, everything. She was free. She abruptly stopped looking at herself with dismay and, with eyes clamped shut; Raven threw her fists up into the air.

"WOOO HOOO!"

Suddenly, her hair fanned out behind her and the light bulb above the rooftop doorway exploded. Raven clamped her hands over her mouth. Well, she was ALMOST free.

Jinx stared at her companion with disbelief. She had actually laughed. That was nothing compared to what would happen next.

"I guess I'm still gonna have to be careful, huh?" Raven asked meekly. Her next statement was more of an outburst.

"Oh, to HELL with it!" Raven ran forward and threw her arms around Jinx, clamping her in a bear hug and twirling around with her like a lopsided top, laughing throughout the whole affair. Jinx tried to shield her eyes as dozens of windows and lights in nearby office buildings simultaneously shattered. After a little bit, Raven finally released her from the bone-crushing embrace, her face blushing heavily.

"Sorry about that."

Jinx raised an eyebrow. "I take it the white is a good thing?"

"That's the way I'm going to look at it."

Jinx was about to say something else when she noticed the flashing red disk on the clasp of Raven's cloak. Raven followed her line of sight and quickly brought her hand up to the communicator.

"I'd forgotten I'd turned that off." She glanced at the tiny screen.

"They've been looking for us all night. Apparently, my firework show wasn't as bright as I thought."

"I'll take that as my cue to exit, stage right." Raven's eyes shot open after hearing those words.

"So what, that's it? You're just going to leave?"

"You didn't think I'd permanently switched sides, did you? I need to get back to the boys. They'll need me."

"Are you sure?" Raven was almost pleading with her.

"Are you kidding?" Jinx turned to her and place her hands on her hips.

"It's MAMMOTH AND GIZMO. They'd be lost without me."

"No, I mean, after everything we've just been through, everything you've done for me, we're just supposed to say "Goodbye" and call it quits? You saved my life."

Jinx raised her arms over her head and stretched.

"Twice, but who's counting? Besides, I don't remember saying anything about quitting." Jinx place her hands at the base of her spine and leaned backwards, trying to crack her back.

"Give me a call next time you need help saving the world." She turned and began to walk away. She stopped after three steps and looked back.

"Maybe I'll see you next time I decide to rob a bank. Just don't expect me to pull my punches."

"Same here." Raven smirked. "Goodbye, Jinx."

Jinx walked over to the ledge and turned her back to it.

"See you around, Angel." The sorceress spread her arms, took a step backward, and was gone. Raven shook her head amusingly. She had to admit, the girl had style.

Robin was the first one on the rooftop, followed closely by Starfire. Next was Cyborg, and Beastboy was, as to be expected, dead last.

There was Raven, sitting with her legs dangling over the side. Her white robes were flowing around her in the wind. She was looking off to the east.

Robin crept forward slowly.

"Raven, are you okay?"

"Never been better." She replied softly.

"Friend Raven, what have you done with your clothing?" this from Starfire.

Raven smirked. "I washed them."

"Raven, what are you doing up here?" asked Beastboy.

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked as she turned to him. "I'm watching the sunrise."

Everyone stared at their teammate in quiet dismay. Finally, Raven broke the silence with a heavy sigh.

"I really need a haircut."

THE END (Well, maybe not…)

Well, what did you think?

I made my deadline (Barely). If I had had it my way, I would have finished this weeks early, and then you would have had more time to process it before Cartoon Network delivered a second helping.

Thanks again for reading and reviewing and, who knows? Maybe I could whip up one more chapter for this story. (Hint, hint)

I have a few other stories in mind, but I don't know when I'll have time to work on them. Do me a favor and keep an eye out for me. I'll try to give you something good.


	10. Epilogue

Wow. I haven't posted anything in two and a half years. Well, if there's anybody out there still watching for me, welcome back True Believers.

Damn. So much has happened since I posted the finale to my take on Teen Titans Season 4. I'm in college now. I've covered my body in permanent ink. Oh, and the individual to whom I dedicated this story turned into a psychotic bitch and ruined my life for a couple months. But that's okay. Why cut yourself to relieve the pain when you can pay somebody ELSE to not only do it for you, but to do so in a somewhat attractive and far more colorful fashion? So, I played the part of heart-broken fool for a while, before getting myself out of that little funk by looking at things logically: Who's responsible for the fact that she'll be wearing off-white to her wedding? Oh, yes, that was me.

Anyway, crude indecency aside, a little bit more of an explanation is in order. Upon originally penning this story way back when, I had always intended to write one last chapter; just a little something to wrap up a few loose ends. When I first started writing this thing, I was motivated by the fact that if I didn't get it done by a certain date, the new episodes threatened to ruin my cannon. Sure, this is FANFICTION, but I was rather proud of the fact that my take on things was perfectly plausible in the overall scheme of the show. I succeeded by scant weeks, and decided that I had reached an acceptable conclusion for the time being. Since then, my predictions about Jinx proved somewhat accurate, as she is now a Hero. Terra came back. Oh, and the series ended.

So, why come out of retirement now? To make a long story short, I've found new inspiration. This piece, as well as the subsequent work I have planned, is dedicated to my special friend Naaru Silverspar. Through her unique form of motivation and invitations into the world of online role-play, I'm finally getting up off my ass, and I'm gonna start the big one: the story I've been meaning to write since middle school. What better way to get back into the swing of things than to dust off something that just needs a little tweaking?

I have been bitten by my muse. The problem is, MY muse closely resembles that nasty little parasite from Cloverfield. Right now I'm bleeding from the eyes, and I've got to hurry and set paper down so I can catch some of the creativity that spills out when my stomach explodes.

Friends, at long last, let's end this Bitch.

Aftershock Part. 3

By: Reedemption (aka XRR)

The twin globes of light danced and chased each other through the darkness like a pair of will 'o the wisps. Following their every turn and movement were a pair of equally luminescent and quite captivating feline eyes. A dazzling shade of pink that increased in intensity when their owner was feeling particularly pissed off, they now looked on with only a hint of apprehension, wondering what they had gotten themselves into.

Deeper into the cavern they ventured, passing the random piles of refuse and other remnants from teenagers looking for a private place to drink and smoke. The one bringing up the rear carelessly kicked a Heineken bottle across the rocky floor and smirked to herself: this was a favorite place of hers to come and rough up the youngsters in search of some free beer. The smirk disappeared as the person she was following strode forward into the ominous looking cleft between two manmade pillars, each decked out in cracked and broken stained glass. Even though she had been here often in the past, she never ventured this far in. There was something….wrong, about that place. She had a sense about these sorts of things, after all.

She almost hesitated at the entrance, wanting very much to simply turn around and leave, before she started to mentally berate herself: SHE was the bad girl here. SHE was the one who never followed the rules. Was she really going to chicken out and let the Whitewashed Wonder show her up? HELL NO!

That thought brought the smile back to her face. Even though she had often poked fun at her new friend, they both knew she was still a little in awe over what had happened less than a month ago on the roof of that building under the blood red moon. When the sunlight caught her friend's new wardrobe at just the right angle, she still had to force herself not to stare. Luckily, she had a reason to look at her down here, what with the fact that the duo's only illumination came from the white spheres of light conjured through the leader's hands.

Onward they walked, the rolling of disturbed pebbles giving notice to the downhill slope as they continued to travel further beneath Jump City. Suddenly, the rock walls and floor lost the rugged surfaces and coatings of pebbles and gravel, being replaced by smooth hills and ribbons of black glass. Here, the tail of the expedition couldn't help but pause and kneel down, running a hand over the dark Obsidian. Flexing her hand slightly, she brought forth a bright pink glow to her fingertips, trailing them around the jewel-like surface and watching the fires dance and glow, throwing shadows on the wall like in Plato's Allegory of the Cave.

She caught the movement out of the corner of her and spun her head around to find her friend standing nearby, watching her actions with a bemused smile on her face. The girl extinguished her amateur firework show, grateful that the sudden darkness hid her blush. If anyone else would have smiled so coyly at her like that, she would have amped up the light show until the air was filled with the smell of burnt hair. But it was okay when she did it. The fact that SHE, of ALL PEOPLE, could smile like that….

The strange young woman with unusual talents hurried to catch up to the other young woman with equally unusual abilities, only to crash into her stock-still frame. They were here.

The statue stood in complete darkness, it's very existence unknown to all but a handful of people; a monument to the heroes who dedicated their lives to protect their city; a memorial to the fallen, to which no one ever paid tribute. She stood atop a pillar of the volcanic glass with her arms outspread, her hair fanning around her head like a halo, the skinny body outfitted in battered armor, looking very much like a Valkyrie about to take flight.

Jinx turned to her companion. "Are you sure this will work?" She didn't mean it to come out as a whisper, but the atmosphere of the chamber made her feel like she had just walked into a Church.

Raven was silent for a little bit as she gazed up into the face of the girl entombed in the lava rock. "I'm not sure…" was her whispered response. Jinx took a step forward and jumped as she felt something crack underfoot. On the ground in front of her was an ancient and dried out bouquet of flowers.

It had been a quiet Sunday evening when Jinx heard the tapping at her window. She casually strolled over expecting to see that insufferable Kid Flash standing in the street below with a handful of pebbles, instead finding the white clad Raven hovering near the windowsill. The lack of her usual purple ensemble instantly signaled the start of something big.

All she had said was that she thought she had figured something out and that she needed her help. A few hours later, here they were, two young heroines standing in the solemn crypt of a third.

As soon as she had learned where they were going, something had been nagging at the back of her mind. Suddenly, she realized what was amiss. "Raven, where's the book?" There wasn't a particular book Jinx had in mind, but rather any of the numerous tomes from the shadowy Titan's vast library that may have been holding the key to the little trick they were about to attempt.

Raven's eyes didn't leave the statue's face as she answered. "There isn't one. I spent weeks going over every single page I could find after it happened. No…." Raven stepped forward and slowly reached out to the stone figure's arm. "This is something we're going to have to guess at…"

"Well, if you want ME to take a guess, I say we just start hitting it 'till it cracks open."

Raven glared at her, causing a hasty a back-peddling. "Hey, easy there, Mistress of the Dark. I was just kidding." She HADN'T been kidding, but she was going to keep that to herself.

Ignoring her friend's suggestion of senseless and wanton destruction to get even the most fragile job done, Raven stepped forward, crouched over slightly, and began to drag her hand across the floor as she circled the immobile form of her former teammate.

Her fingers left trails everywhere they ran, as would a child writing "Wash Me!" in the dust caking a rather dirty car. The problem was, there wasn't that much dust clinging to the near vertical pillar supporting the statuette. Oh, and everywhere her fingers danced, the volcanic rock glowed white, as if she were applying glow-in-the-dark finger-paint.

Jinx struggled to recognize the symbols, translating some but failing miserably with most. At first glance, they closely resembled the demonic runes which had covered Raven's body only a short time ago. These, however, seemed…friendlier? More smooth and gentle in the curves? She wasn't sure how to describe it, beyond the fact that they definitely looked more soothing than the gleaming red tattoos the Titan had been sporting earlier, and it wasn't just the change in color.

After one complete rotation, Raven stepped back to admire her handiwork before turning to her companion. "Your turn." Jinx could only look back in shock. "Excuse me?"

"Now you do it."

"Do WHAT, exactly? What am I supposed to write?"

"Whatever you feel like writing."

Somehow, Jinx felt tracing the words "This is stupid" over and over wouldn't accomplish much. Still, the look in her eyes told her Raven wasn't going to take no for an answer, and with a sigh of defeat she stepped forward, mumbling somewhat under her breath.

"Anything in particular I should _feel _like writing?" She asked. True, Raven was pretty much her best friend in the whole wide world right now; despite the mean burns they'd both give and receive when Jinx felt like stealing something. In the time since their little adventure together, not TOO much had changed; they still paired off whenever the Titans and the villains had a shuffle. They certainly didn't pull any punches. Of course, had they actually been _training_ together, they wouldn't be going easy on each other either.

The big difference was that NOW, it wasn't unlikely for the two to meet up for a late night movie, going so far as to be seen in public together. Still, any amount of friendship didn't excuse being dragged out into a cave in the middle of the night to accomplish God knows what, and with seemingly no plan on how to do so. A little venom between friends was only natural in a situation like this.

"Don't think about it. Just start doing it." Raven replied. Jinx blew upward at her bangs in frustration before she crouched down and began to trace random stuff onto the pillar below the previous artist's work.

She really had no idea what she was doing. Basically, she was leisurely running her fingers over the smooth surface, a squiggle here, a circle there, dot that I and cross that t, all the while pouring forth her collective powers into her fingertips, engraving the symbols into the earth. A smiley face with vampire fangs. A band logo she remembered from some obscure album.

She was half way around when she saw what she was doing and gasped out loud.

She certainly didn't _remember_ crossing that t twice, producing the strange double cross with a curved bottom that looked for all the world like something Raven had just penned. Was that smiley face sideways when she made it? What was the mouth doing all the way over _there_, way outside the circle. And she was positive that she had _never_ seen that band logo before.

She was writing in some strange language that only really made sense to one person in the room. The problem was, it wasn't her.

Jinx looked up imploringly to her friend, searching for any answer whatsoever to what was going on.

Raven merely shrugged. "I don't know what I wrote either. But it doesn't look too bad, does it?"

Jinx looked back down at her wandering hand, which was continuing to paint the strange symbols upon the rock. "Are you doing this somehow?" Her voice betrayed no quiver; it was more from shock than fear.

"I think so. I had a dream the other night and when I woke up I tried to write everything I could remember. I know it wasn't the same signs, but they _looked_ pretty close. And the more I wrote the easier it became. But it still looked unfinished. Like I needed someone to help me."

Jinx really didn't know what to say. The little flutter in her stomach was both familiar and alien to her; last felt when she promised Raven to help her save the world. Without responding, she smiled weakly and hid a slight blush as she continued her work.

At long last, she had completed her circumnavigation of the dais, standing back and noticing how well the two lines of runes and symbols complemented each other. As the white light mixed with the pink and glowed throughout the chamber, they cast waves over the surrounding walls, looking very much like the aurora borealis she had seen on the Discovery Channel and episodes of Northern Exposure.

She was slightly let down to notice that, other than the light show, nothing was happening. A sidelong glance at Raven's confused expression told her she was not alone. "Azerath Metrion Zinthos. Azerath Metrion Zynthos. Azerath-" She whispered over and over, desperate for her words to have some sort of effect. At last she was silent. "I don't understand it…This should work…At least, I _think_ it should…"

Jinx hardly heard any of this, her attention drawn to how some of her writing had crossed over and intertwined with Raven's. "It's because you're trying it alone…" she whispered. Raven looked up, baffled, just in time to see Jinx reach up and grasp her right hand in her left, fingers intertwined. She lead her forward, till the statue stood between them, before reaching around and taking her left hand in her right, reminding her somewhat of two children spinning around the maypole. "Now try it" she whispered.

Raven did as she was instructed, repeating her incantation softly, over and over. She soon realized that her voice was not solitary. It was not the first time Raven heard her words coming from Jinx's mouth, but it still gave her the impression of waking up one morning to find she didn't recognize her own voice.

They continued to chant the incantation in voices that grew stronger and louder, matching each other's rhythm and tempo perfectly. Neither were sure how long they kept it up, only that suddenly and simultaneously, they stopped. Both opened their eyes, eagerly awaiting the outcome of their efforts.

Nothing. Silence. Stillness. Zilch. The two sorceresses stood motionless, hands still clasped together, both of them holding their collective breaths as the girl between their outstretched arms remained stone cold.

Shit. Jinx let go of her friend's intertwined fingers and sighed heavily. "Seriously, I've got a pretty good sized sledge in my room. Gimme three solid swings and I think I can-"

Crack.

Another crack.

And another.

Slowly, the chamber began to fill with the sounds of rock and Earth fighting against each other and themselves. Although the sounds were evident, the girl standing before them looked the same as she had for years.

Then it happened. Jinx saw it first. A small hairline fracture appeared on the girl's chest, over her heart, and began to spider web outwards.

Up her neck and over her face, circling her nose and eyes. Running along her outstretched arms and wrapping around her fingers. Down her torso and legs, towards the swirling light of the blazing runes. Then, the racing and spreading cracks made contact with the glowing symbols.

It was like a damn breaking; the swirling lights poured forth and raced through the cracks, shining waters flooding dry riverbeds. Up the legs, over the torso, out along her arms and up her face. The girl standing before them was covered in the churning glow.

A crack like thunder, a bright flash, and the statue was gone. In its place was stood a girl in the exact same pose, covered in dirt, dressed in tattered rags and dented armor, the glowing stone replaced with blonde hair and flesh tones.

In slow motion, the girl fell forward and collapsed to the floor, caught at the last possible moment by two pairs of startled arms which finished her descent to the floor in a more gentle fashion.

Raven and Jinx just stood there for a little bit, completely stunned, not sure if this was really happening. Terra was just lying there, as motionless as she had since they entered, if in a different position and color. Neither said anything. Raven didn't even object when Jinx's shaking foot snaked out and nudged the girl in the ribs. She was rewarded with a rasping cough followed by a groan.

"Holy…." Whispered Jinx.

"Shit…." Finished Raven. Jinx was too bowled over by what they had just accomplished to respond to Raven's use of language.

Minutes later, Raven and Jinx were hiking back up the tunnel, a weakened Terra loping between them with an arm over each. "Where's everybody else?" She asked weakly.

"It's just us." responded Jinx. "We'll take you to the hospital first, then back to the Tower for one hell of a surprise. Beastboy is gonna flip!"

Terra stopped in her tracks, bringing the trio to a halt. "You can't tell him." She whispered. Both Raven and Jinx looked at her in shock. "What?"

"Nobody else knows, right? They don't have to know." She looked at them pleadingly. "I don't want to have to deal with this again."

"But…what about all your friends?" Jinx only knew as much about Terra as she had heard second-hand, and being cracked in the head was new to her.

"The friends I tried to kill, you mean?" Again, Terra only knew Jinx by reputation from her brief time with the Titans, but if she had any questions as to why she and Raven were together, she kept them to herself.

"I've done terrible things…" She continued. "And I was prepared to go to any lengths to make it right. I can control my power now. But I'll still have to think about what I did with it whenever I use it. Please," She looked into Raven's eyes, begging her. "Please, don't make me use them again."

Raven was stunned. To tell the truth, she had been dreaming of this day for a long time, when she could finally find a way to free the girl from her imprisonment. If not so much for Terra, then for BB. When did she start calling him BB? But throughout all the dreaming and wishing and planning, she had never once stopped to consider what would happen if she had actually succeeded. Needless to say, she was at a loss.

She looked to Jinx, hoping for some support in getting the girl to think strait. Those pink cat-like eyes looked right back, and after a little bit she smirked. "Won't be the first big secret you and I have shared together."

Raven blushed a little at that. The girl standing one body length away was still the only other person in the world who knew exactly what transpired, as well as lead up to, the events that took place on the rooftop under the blood red moon. She looked back to Terra.

"Alright." She said. "We won't tell anyone."

Terra's grip on her shoulder tightened in what could only be an attempt at a hug.

The trio continued on up the tunnel in silence that was at long last broken by the girl in the middle. "I like the new look." She told her former teammate.

Raven and Jinx started to giggle, which quickly built in volume and crescendo until the halls were echoing with sidesplitting laughter. It was just too absurd to hear such a casual reaction like that given what the pair had gone through to give Raven her little wardrobe change.

Terra, of course, was completely baffled. But thought she was picking up something as she watched the mage clothed in white and the pink-loving Goth shudder with laughter, having to brace against each other to keep from falling over. The exchanged blushes and talk of shared secrets from earlier flipped a switch, prompting another question from the fair-haired Earthmover.

"So, are you two a couple, or what?"

It was almost frightening how quickly the cavern descended into silence after those words were uttered.

THE END (This is where Puffy Ami Yumi's song starts.)

Well, there it is. After putting my own spin on the events of Season 4, I thought it might be nice to add my own little touch to the ending of the series, giving it a little bit of closure. And thus, my first ever fanfic has been completed. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed sharing some of the inane ramblings that are rattling around inside my head. Speaking of which….

Perhaps the biggest change to take place in my life occurred since I put this on hiatus: When I was watching new weekly episodes of Teen Titans, I would generally steer clear of Anime. Oh, sure, I taped the occasional episode of Tenchi Muyo! Or Sailor Moon off Cartoon Network, but even this was done in secret, as I had no wish to affiliate myself with the anime genre. I lived in a small community where the only 3 people in my high school who openly talked about anime specialized in hentai. That and every adult within 20 miles could only assume Pokémon was the high point of Japanese culture.

Then, around Season 5 of Teen Titans, something happened that would change me deeply. Staying up late one night for Aqua Teen Hunger Force on Adult Swim, I caught the beginning of an episode of Fullmetal Alchemist. Curious as to why the big robot sounded like a kid, I watched it. And I became hooked. I followed the show religiously, and was completely blown away by the conclusion. Then, I watched Season 1 of Ah! My Goddess on YouTube. THEN, my college's anime, sci-fi, and gaming club scored Tiffany Grant as the guest of honor at our yearly con. You remember those tattoos I mentioned? I have the FMA Homunculus Ouroboros on my chest. I am proud to call myself an Otaku.

I have a list I'd like to share with you:

Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Halo.

Black Lagoon.

Hellsing.

Bleach.

Martian Successor Nadesico.

Vandread.

Transformers.

LOST.

Heroes.

Teen Titans.

Afro Samurai.

Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Predator.

Iron Man.

Ghost Rider.

Starcraft.

Now, upon first look, this may seem like my list of interests on Facebook. In reality, this is the collection from which I will be drawing the characters and events for use in the most ambitious and creative project I have ever undertaken. Simply put, I am working on a Crossover story so expansive and complex, it'll be like reading a vast trilogy based on Super Smash Bros.

Before I start receiving flames and whatnot, please, hear me out. I have put a lot of thought into this possibility, and have a lot more going for me than just the fact that many of these series deal with alternate dimensions and plains of reality. I love ALL of these characters deeply, and rather than write a dozen small crossovers, I plan on using some of my own original characters to tie this thing together tighter than Harry Potter 7.

So please, before you flame it, just read the first couple of chapters with an open mind. My primary goal is to entertain, and I'm confident that I will at least accomplish that.

I'm sorry if I was long winded. It won't happen again, and I'm REALLY excited.

And a special thanks to Darkbusterrancher, a great fan and soon to be my #1 Master Beta.


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